Everything You're Looking For
by simplycora
Summary: When Elena Gilbert meets Damon Salvatore for the first time, it is right before her parent's car drives off Wickery Bridge. Four months later, what will happen when they meet again? (Retelling of TVD as though Elena was never compelled to forget her first meeting with Damon)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! Some this is my second Fan Fiction. Hopefully it won't be as much of an epic failure as the first. Haha. :D Enjoy!**

My thoughts were all on the charming stranger I'd just encountered as I entered my parent's car. _I want you to get everything you're looking for. _I remembered how his bright blue eyes widened when he'd said that, recalled how wise his words had been. _You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and even a little danger._ I saved the words, tucked them into my mind carefully, anxious to get home and record them in my diary. It would be cited, "A quote from Damon, the wise, bright eyed, mysterious stranger."

I was slumped against the window, my head in my hand. My mother eyed me through the rear-view mirror of our car. Her face was warm, her features soft, as she looked on with the concern of a caring parent.

I sighed. "Thank you for coming to pick me up. I'm sorry that I skipped out on family night."

My Dad shrugged from the driver's seat. "You didn't miss too much."

I took that answer, knowing I was forgiven, and watched out the window. Tall, thick tree trunks stretched all the way to the horizon, until the deep green leaves pillowed out at the tops. The night was already black, with little silvery stars sprinkled over the sky. I reached forward across my seat to turn the heat up. A calm feeling settled throughout my body. This town was so familiar, so quiet and safe. As I'd told Damon, nothing bad ever happened in Mystic Falls.

Creaky noises rose around us as we began the drive over Wickery Bridge. I shivered as the thought of how cold the water below us must be crossed my mind. It was chilly enough outside; the water had to be freezing. I rested my head back against the upholstry of the seat, and felt my eyelids droop.

It had been a long week. I was going to have to do something about my boyfriend, and close friend, Matt. He'd always been a wonderful friend to me, and now, I needed to be a good friend to him, by telling him the truth. Our relationship wasn't going to go anywhere in the romance department. I'd hoped maybe it would pick up, that maybe I would feel something. I'd accomplished nothing by waiting for that to happen, though. In fact, I'd only hurt him more because of it. The sooner I was honest with Matt, the better.

I thought about my mother's advice. I had to let Matt go, like she'd said. Bonnie had told me the same thing, but somehow, my mother had been more comforting about it. All mothers could do that, I supposed. They saw the best in their children, and had a way of encouraging them to make the best choices. Bonnie was my best friend, but I needed my mother to help me make such a difficult call.

Suddenly, he car jerked violently. I gasped as my eyes flew open and my head banged against the door of the car. I barely had time to brace myself before we were plunging off the bridge, and into the lake.

Everything moved in slow motion as we dove. My hair flew up around my shoulders, and I shotup off the seat, airborne for seconds that seemed like hours. My eyes flitted to my parents. My father was gripping the steering wheel tightly, his face showcasing his frustration, and, worse, his terror. Next to him, my mother's eyes were squeezed closed, her hands tightened on the edges of her seat.

And then, we hit the water hard, like it was concrete. I whimpered as my teeth cracked together, and my head hit hard on the chair in front of me. Once again, my lids slipped closed.

When I awoke again, the car was ankle deep in frigid water. Dad was a blur as he beat against the door. When he glanced at me, he looked panic stricken.

"Elena, try to open your door," he commanded.

I did as I was told, and undid my buckle so that I could try to push out the door with my foot. I shoved with all my might, until I saw red, until I couldn't push any longer, and then I collapsed.

"I can't, Dad."

He wasn't listening to me, banging his elbow against the window. It was half way sealed in the water already. I glanced at my mother. Something red trickled down her temple, and she was limp against her chair.

"Dad!" The icy water rose up to her nose. I began to shudder. "Dad!" My mouth filled.

He seemed to have been taken over by his wild need to break out. He couldn't appear to hear me at all.

"Daddy!" I screamed. I batted my hand against his shoulder. Bubbles blew out through my nose. I shoved upward and took my last deep breath, before the car submerged completely.

That was when Dad stopped. His eyes were sad and still as he reached back and held the hand I stretched out to him. He shook his head, as if to say 'No. No, we're not getting out.'

_We weren't getting out_. He couldn't break the glass. We were all going to drown in this car, together. We were going to drown before I could grow up, and go to college if I wanted to. Before I could get married, or have kids, or even fall truly in love at all. I wanted those things Damon spoke of—adventure, and passion. I wanted to live, to breathe, to fight, to laugh, to cry. I wanted to have birthdays and I wanted to get in trouble, just once, and I wanted to know what it was to be complete.

I wanted my parents to stay with me. I wanted to watch them to grow old together, and to become one of those happy elderly couples who sits on their porch with their grandchildren and holds hands. I wanted to be there when Jeremy, my brother, graduated, or when he got married, or when I became an aunt.

I wanted to _live_.

I wasn't going to, though. I was going to die, there, in that cold, dark lake, trapped in that old, rundown car. I'd never get to say goodbye to Jer, Bonnie, Matt, or Caroline. I couldn't write about Damon tonight. What was even worse was that I had about a minute to accept that, if I wanted to be peaceful as I drifted away.

So, I faded going through all my best memories. Time spent with friends, and family; Christmases, parties, laughter, happiness. I remembered the times when all I'd felt was the love of my family and friends, because that was all there was. I wondered what would have come of me, if I'd gotten the chance to pursue a life in writing. I imagined that I'd sell a few books, and I'd live in a big house somewhere warm, surrounded by people who loved me.

My last thought was really a hope, and it was that I would have been happy. Then everything went dark.

I was dropped onto something hard. My body felt numb, my skin too cold to register any feeling. I couldn't open my eyes…or maybe they were already opened and everything was just too blurry to make out? I felt something tickle my chin, and then something—someone—press against my chest. Listening to my heart beat?

It hurt to breathe.

There was a horrible, ripping sound.

I felt as though I were still trapped under the water; I hadn't completely resurfaced. My mind was blocked, and everything moved sluggishly. Was I really even alive?

Something warm dripped onto my lips. My nose twitched and I licked my top teeth. The taste made me wince. It was like over-salted macaroni.

A...something...was pressed into my mouth, and the liquid began to flow, burning down my throat. It wasn't a cup, or a straw...the liquid was coming from something cold and smooth. The more I drank, the more my consciousness began to return. I moaned and gripped the source of the drink, and began to gulp deeply. As I slurped and sucked, I felt cuts closing, bones cracking back into place, and water dissipating in my lungs. Life flooded in, and my eyes shot open.

I locked gazes with sweet, hazel eyes, framed by dark lashes. My eyes traveled across the man's face, his perfectly straight nose and cute, light brown hair. His eyebrows drew in, the ghost of a frown marked by a faint wrinkle in between his eyes.

I watched him pull his wrist from my mouth softly. A cut on his arm, dripping with blood, sealed and then vanished in mere seconds.

_What?_

I sat straight up, choking on something. Before I knew it, I was hunched over, throwing up dirty water.

A hand tentatively patted my back, and I stiffened. "Who..." My voice shook. "Who are you?"

I swept my hair over my shoulder and looked back at him, sitting crouched behind me. Wordlessly, he held his hands out and helped me stand.

My head spun, and I took in the setting. I felt like I'd been asleep for hours. We were standing on the muddy bank by the lake under Wickery Bridge.

The events rushed back, staggering me. My dad had lost control of our car…there was a jolt and…and we _dove off the bridge_. I remembered hitting my head, but when I pressed my hand to where the gash should've been, there was nothing. It all could have been a dream, had I not been standing in cattails right now... I remembered saying goodbye, remembered understanding that I was going to die, that I was going to drown, along with my parents.

"_My parents!_" I cried, and stumbled towards the lake. A hand caught my arm and held me back.

"No!" I turned hopelessly, and met those eyes once more.

"Katherine?"

I shook my head, frowning, wet hair slapping my skin. "I'm Elena. Let me go!"

The stranger nodded and his pupils dilated as he looked straight through me.

I was suspended in those eyes as soon as he spoke. Time, space, sound, it all ceased. Only his words mattered; those eyes were all I could see.

It wasn't like hearing the words as he spoke them. It was like feeling them in my mind, and believing in them with every fiber of my being.

"_Help is coming for you. You're not going to remember ever meeting me. Now, lie down. You're going to be fine. Go to sleep."_

I nodded, and automatically, I collapsed. My knees gave and his arms caught me and helped me down. His fingers brushed my cheek, and then he was gone.

_**Four months later.** _

_Dear Diary, _

_Today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say, "I'm fine, thank you. Yes, I feel much better." I will no longer be the sad little girl that lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through._

I put down my pen and sighed. It had been four months since the tragic death of my parents, and my 'miraculous' survival. Four months without the love and care of my mother, or the strength and safety of my father. Four months without a single smile. Four months of Hell.

It was wrong, somehow, that I had lived. I'd been meant to go down with them. They were my family. If I were to die, it should have been with them. We should have been together. I _shouldn't_ have survived. It really wasn't even possible. The water pressure blocked the doors; no human could have gotten out of that car. The doctors couldn't explain why I'd lived, or how. "It's a true miracle," they said.

I disagreed.

A miracle is an unbelievably good thing, and it happens to those worthy of receiving them. I wasn't spared because I deserved to live a happy life. I was denied peace, because I wasn't entitled to it. I lived now with grief and guilt, whereas death may have been calm. I supposed life was my punishment for being the cause of my parent's death. If I would've just gone to family night, stayed in that day, they never would've had to drive me home. They wouldn't have had any reason to drive across that bridge that night, had it not been for me. I wasn't even supposed to be at that party in the first place.

Jeremy didn't blame me. He pretended that he didn't care anymore, acted like he was detached, and not just from my parents, but from his own feelings, his own life. He'd spent the summer getting high enough to forget everything that mattered. Jeremy was no longer the bright, gifted child I'd known. He was no longer my brother. He was just the hollow, empty carcass of a future whose promise had been broken.

Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, they too insisted that I didn't do it. But, _I knew_ I did. I wished I could apologize. I wished I could go back, and change my decision to go to the party in the first place. I couldn't, though, and so I learned to forgive myself. I couldn't go on hating myself. It wasn't going to bring them back; it would only bring me down. Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted that. They'd have wanted me to soldier on. They'd have wanted Jeremy to do the same, too, which was why it was now my responsibility to set him straight, not Aunt Jenna's.

Aunt Jenna had assumed role as our caretaker. She was in over her head, and she was irresponsible, ad she didn't have the slightest clue as to how to raise a teenager, but I loved her for trying. She put her whole life on hold to help us carry ours on. I owed it to her, as well, to pick myself back up. No more wallowing; it was useless. The summer had been my own freebie; now, I needed to face reality. I needed to be strong.

I took a deep breath. Facing the door, I moved to exit the room, when a cold blast of window rocked through my open window. A crow perched on the sill, and let out a caw. I stiffened, and turned back to shut and lock the window. That bird was creepy.

I padded down the stairs, preparing my smile for Jenna. She was where I knew she would be; sitting at the island, munching on some cereal.

"Happy first day of school," she said through a bite.

"Thanks." I grabbed an apple and sat across from her on one of the wooden stools. "Is Jeremy up?"

She nodded her head, honey blonde hair falling over her shoulder. "Yeah, he said he wanted to get there early."

I frowned. "Did he say why?"

"Nope." She scraped the edges of her bowl with her spoon. "But, I'm guessing that it had something to do with Vikki Donovan."

I should have known. Jeremy had loved Vikki since we were kids. She was Matt's sister, so whenever Matt and Vikki were around, so was Jer. It was all very puppy-dog eyes and wagging tails, but she loved to kick him out on the street. Thankfully, the obsession had dwindled when Vikki developed a drug habit in her freshman year. Jer had managed to take a different road than she had; he was bright, kind, and lively. His grades were above average, and even adults had a tendency to gravitate towards his positive energy. But, now that Jeremy had an addiction too, his affections for Vikki had returned. Throughout the summer, he'd alternated between hooking up with Vikki and getting stoned with Vikki. She was dragging him down to her level, and I was worried that it was a hole he couldn't dig himself out of.

"Oh," I muttered. I bit into my apple. It was tart, and the peel was dry in my mouth. I sighed and tossed it in the garbage can. When Jenna gave me a look, I lied, "I'm going to be late."

We said our goodbyes and I grabbed my keys, and my bag, off the counter.

I watched the ground as I walked, counting the cracks in the sidewalk. I had to do things like that sometimes; focus on tiny little details to keep myself from breaking down. Asking about Jeremy was a cue that I needed to watch myself. I knew now when I was in danger of going off, because it had happened so many times (at which point I would hide in my room and cry into my pillow where Jeremy and Jenna couldn't hear and therefore couldn't be affected.) When I picked up on triggers, I distracted myself so that my mind wouldn't settle on one specific family drama. Then, eventually, my worries would skirt to the back of my mind, and I had room to process the things that were happening in the present.

Presently, there were three cracks down my driveway. There were a few dead leaves sitting on the pavement, and there were eight aunts scrambling around. Presently, the wind was blowing onto my cheeks, freezing my hands, which I had shoved into the pockets of my inadequate coat.

Presently, there was a crow sitting on the hood of my old car. A fog was swirling up around my feet, and my legs began to shake. Swiftly, I fumbled with my keys and unlocked the door. I whisked myself in quickly. It was a little warmer inside, and a lot safer. I blasted the heat and sat back until my heart slowed.

_Evil crows are not following you_, I told myself. I waited a few minutes, and then I opened my eyes. The world seemed normal now, and it was comforting. I just needed to get out of my own head.

I turned the key to the right setting in the ignition, and tapped my foot on the pedal.

That was when I knew I should have taken Bonnie up on her offer to drive me to school. I wasn't ready for this. I groaned, knowing I had two options: call Bonnie and confess my weakness, or man up and drive myself to school.

I narrowed my eyes in determination. I could do this. I nudged the gas again, and put the car in reverse…and just like that, the walls of the car seemed to collapse, my stomach rolled, my head throbbed, and I couldn't breathe. I yanked the key into _off_ and threw my door open. The fresh air washed away the ill feeling, and I stepped out and leaned against the frame of the vehicle.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. _7:15. _I couldn't walk, and Bonnie would already be past my house by now. She was a good friend; she'd turn around and come get me, but I didn't want her to go out of her way. I could have asked Jenna, but I wanted her to think that I was okay.

If everyone thought I was fine, maybe I could start to believe it, too.

I closed the door and put the keys in my backpack. "Screw it," I mumbled, and huddled into my jacket as I walked down the street. School was about a mile away. I'd just have to get a late pass...on the first day of school.

I was half way down the block when I heard a car behind me. Jealously made me grind my teeth together; I'd bet that it was cozy inside that car. Leather seats, hot air, a purring motor and a driver who could drive. While, there I was, walking to school in a too-light jacket, a shivering, miserable mess. I was pathetic. If that person would drive into a puddle and splash me, life would be complete.

The driver didn't splash me with a puddle, though. Instead, he slowed his sleek black car down, and unrolled his window. "Need a ride?"

I recognized him. "Don't I know you?" His blue eyes and black hair were so familiar.

_I want you to get everything you're looking for. _

I gasped. I hadn't thought about that in a long, long time. The moment with him, right before the crash, rushed back. The memory was so different now, after all that had happened. It was strange, how marred the moment seemed, because I knew that it had been the last happiness I'd had before my parents died.

And he had made me happy. He'd made me hopeful, and eager to dive into a life full of love and adventure. I'd wanted that…until everything changed. "Damon. You're Damon, aren't you?"

He smirked. "Last time I checked." His eyes grazed over me. "Where are you headed?"

Shouldn't it be obvious? "School."

His dark eyebrows scrunched in surprise. "You look older…are you a senior?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Well, Elena—it's Elena, isn't it?" He didn't wait for answer. "You have a long way to walk, and I'm in a chilvarous mood today, so, would you like a ride to school?"

It was a stupid thing to do—get in a stranger's car. I knew that, but I was also freezing, and something about Damon's bright blue eyes made me trust him. "Thank you," I said and I opened the door and climbed in.

I'd been right about leather seats, and the warmth. It really was a comfortable ride-and a quiet one, too. By the time I got up the courage to break our silence, we were almost to school. "Do you remember meeting me?" I asked.

He nodded. "Is your belief that nothing bad happens in Mystic Falls still intact?"

My eyes stung and I looked away. "Not quite."

He turned a corner. I liked the way he drove with one hand on the wheel. He was confident, and that made it easier for me. "What changed your mind?"

I watched out the window. "I…it's a long, sad story."

"I have time."

"But, I don't."

He frowned at me.

"School, remember?"

"Ah." Right on cue, he pulled me into the parking lot. "Well, Elena, I'd love to hear your story sometime."

I met his eyes. "Thank you for the ride."

He winked. "I'll see you around."

I opened the door and stepped out. I expected to hear his engine rumble away, but he stayed until I got into the building. I almost waved, but didn't want to look stupid. As I made my way to my locker, I found myself hoping to meet Damon again.

"_Elena!" _Caroline tackled me with a bear hug, her fruity perfume making my nose itch. "How are you?"

I smiled. "I'm fine." When it came to Caroline, the phrase 'dumb blonde' was totally accurate. I loved Caroline, but she definitely pushed it.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's only been four months!"

I cringed. As I scrambled for a reply, tears burned in my eyes. I looked down so she wouldn't see and was about to say anything—just, anything—to distract her, when Bonnie appeared out of thin air and saved me.

"She's been doing better, Car," she said. "Right, Elena?"

I nodded, clearing my head. "Yes, I'm better now."

Caroline smiled. "Good. Ooh!" She pointed to the administration office. "Fresh meat!"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. The only thing visible of this 'fresh meat; was his leather-jacket clad back."I have to get to my locker. I'll meet you guys for lunch?"

"Sure," Bonnie agreed warmly.

I'd never had a friend as close to me as Bonnie was. She was more like a sister than a friend, really. We'd grown up together, and I have this theory that _anything_ could happen, and we'll still be best friends. We just knew each other inside and out. We pushed each other, comforted each other, shopped together, and ate ice cream together when one of our dates failed. We'd had our fights, but they were always meaningful, unlike the petty squabbles that other girls tended to get into, over boys or other friends. Bonnie and I encouraged each other to be our best, and we always have one another's backs. I'd trust Bonnie with anything. I would even give her my diary to read cover to cover if she needed.

Bonnie had been a good friend these past four months especially. She kept me from going over the edge after my parent's death. I didn't like to burden her with all the drama, though. That was another big part of why I was putting on a good face today.

The biggest reason, though, was that I didn't want to be sad anymore. It was exhausting. I just wanted to live now, and maybe I would have to live with guilt, and I'd have to accept that. I was just finished with sulking.

The hallways seemed oddly quiet, but I didn't pay attention as I fought with my locker. The door was a little sticky from not being used in months. After a few moments of pulling, I grew annoyed, and dropped my backpack to the floor. I braced my foot on the wall and yanked back with all my might.

The door flew open violently, and I shut my eyes, bracing myself, because I knew I was about to get slammed in the face.

A hand came down and grabbed the swinging metal before it could break my nose. It all happened very quickly, and I looked up, a little disoriented.

Soft, hazel eyes met mine. They melted with the stranger's smile as they stared me down.

My eyes flickered to his hand, still holding the door. On his middle finger, I noticed an old-looking, dark blue ring. The carving in the middle looked a little like a family crest.

I looked back up at him. He was new-he must have been the boy from the administrator's office. I felt remorse at the fact that I hadn't seen his face earlier. It would've given me a chance to prepare myself for this moment. Now, I was all caught up in his incredible beauty, and I couldn't think of anything to say.

Thankfully, he spoke first. "That was a close one."

I blinked. "What?—Oh! Right, yeah. Thank you for…" I sounded like an idiot. "I—I'm Elena," I finally said. "And I really appreciate you catching that door. That would've hurt."

His pale-pink lips picked up into a smile. "I'm Stefan." He took his hand off the door and put it in the pocket of his dark jeans. "And, you're welcome."

I blinked a few more times, and managed a smile. "Well, I think I can probably manage from here without breaking my face. Thanks again, Stefan."

He nodded. "My pleasure."

I couldn't help but watch him walk off. He wasn't overly tall—maybe an inch or so more than I was. Then again, I was taller than average, so maybe he _was _tall. He had a confident stride, but looked around him as he made his way, as though he were ready for someone to jump out and attack him.

The warning bell rang to knock me out of my stupor, and I swiftly emptied out my heavy bag into my locker. I arranged the notebooks into an order that could almost be considered organized, intending to fix it after class. I pulled out my schedule and checked my first period. With a groan, I gathered my things for history, with Mr. Tanner. Mr. Tanner was rough, and he was grouchy early in the morning.

I ran to class, knowing his was the last on my list of Subjects to be Late For.

I jumped into a seat right before the bell rang, and busied myself with taking out my notebook to avoid Tanner's glare. When I heard him writing on the chalkboard, I knew it was safe to look up. I sighed in relief and leaned back. Sunlight was pouring through the window, blinding my peripheral vision. I tried to turn my head the other way, squinting.

To my surprise, my eyes landed on Stefan's form. His body was tilted towards mine in the desk next to me, and he had a small smile on his face.

"The sun is killing me," I explained in a whisper, my cheeks flushing.

"I can close them," he offered. Before I could tell him he didn't have to, he got up and made his way to the window. He released the blinds so that they blocked the sun, accidentally drawing Tanner's attention.

"Mr. Salvatore?" His voice was condescending.

Stefan turned. "Yes?"

"Did I give you permission to do that?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stared at Mr. Tanner. Something changed on Tanner's face, but I seemed to be the only one to notice. "Is there a problem?" Stefan asked, his voice calm.

I felt chills go up my spine as Tanner's face went totally blank. "No, no, you're fine. Take a seat."

The rest of the day had passed hazily. I had two other classes with Stefan, and I liked that. I liked _him_. Bonnie, Caroline and I made plans to meet up at our favorite restaurant, the Grill, at seven. That meant that I had about four hours to myself. We hadn't gotten homework, since it was the first day, the only time the teacher's didn't have to teach anything, so I was free to spend the rest of my day in whatever way I wanted.

So, I double-checked my backpack for my diary, and once I'd assured that it was with me, I walked straight to the cemetery.

I liked to sit in the graveyard and write. It was peaceful there. It made me feel closer to my parents, too. I didn't find the cemetery to be a sad place; just quiet…and a bit foggy.

I got to the gates unseen, but when I saw a tall figure going up the path, I decided I should turn around. There was an access through the woods, and I was better off being careful. I didn't want to get shooed out—this was my favorite place to be.

I was mildly irritated that I had to walk around to the woods, but I knew it was worth it. It was still cold out; I shoved my cold hands into my pockets, wishing for gloves.

I found the parting in the trees that marked my 'secret' entrance, and I ducked in. The wildlife sounds were soothing, and familiar. I enjoyed the trek up to the graveyard. I was surrounded by tall, beautifully green trees with trunks twice, maybe three times my width. I watched a blue-jay fly from one treetop to another. The leaves rustled when it landed in a nest hidden somewhere behind the big branches. Rushing water sounded in my right ear, and a wolf's howl in my left. A bunny scampered out of the bushes, and a squirrel shot right past my feet. It was all very Snow White, until I caught sight of the graveyard.

I could see that the sky was cloudy and grey out of the cover of trees. The quiet seemed maybe a little _too_ quiet. Still, I squared my shoulders and kept going. I had nothing to be afraid of; anyone around here was...dead.

I wasn't watching where I was going, too enveloped in all the woodsy scenery, and I slammed into someone.

Startled, I screamed, and stumbled backwards. Strong hands caught me before I fell, and I looked up to find Damon's bright blue eyes holding amusement.

"Did you fall for me, Elena?" he asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes good naturedly. "The kind of balance you'd expect from a cheerleader, huh?"

He laughed as he let me go slowly. "Maybe from a drunk cheerleader."

I shoved my hands into my back pockets. "So, Damon, what are you doing out here? In a cemetery?"

"Near a cemetery," he corrected.

"Right."

He exhaled loudly—not exasperatedly, but loudly just the same. "I could ask you the same question." He cupped the back of his neck. "I was…lurking."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I'm very mysterious that way. Now it's your turn, Elena. Why are you wandering around the woods, near the cemetery?"

I frowned. "I…my parents are buried here."

His smirk lost all of its edge and the heat in his eyes poured out. "I'm sorry," he said simply.

"Thank you." I bit my lip. "I was going to go—visit—but, I—"

"No, no, that's okay. I understand. Go ahead and do the grieving thing, but, Elena?"

"Yes?" The way he said my name, heavy on the '_E'_, made my toes curl.

"You really shouldn't spend too much time out here alone," he warned.

"I'll be careful," I promised. I started to walk away, but halfway to the graveyard, I paused. "Hey, Damon," I called, intending to invite him to the Grill. He didn't answer.

I turned, but he was gone.

I sighed and made my way up to my parent's headstones. The gravel crackled underneath my sneakers, and the wind began to pick up. I shivered, and made a snap decision to just turn around and go home. Damon was right; I spent too much time around the dead.

The sky was dark as I stepped out of my car and entered the Grill. The Grill was this great café, all low lighting, pool tables, and brick walls on the inside. It smelled faintly of beer and strongly of coffee, and there was a bell that rang on the door when you walked in. Bonnie and Caroline were already seated in one of the dark-wood tables, right smack dab in the middle of the room. I smiled and waved to them as they beckoned me over.

A waiter carrying a tray full of glasses stepped in front of me. "Excuse me," we said at the same time as I took a step backwards, right into someone else.

"I'm sorry," I immediately apologized, spinning to see who I'd hit. "Damon," I breathed surprised.

"You just can't keep yourself off of me today," he murmured, eyes wicked.

I couldn't help but smile. "I'm beginning to suspect that you're following me, you know."

"You should be a detective when you grow up," he teased.

The comment was light, but I couldn't help but realize that he hadn't denied stalking me.

The fact that I wasn't upset by this was a very bad sign.

"I, um—my friends and I are sitting over there, if you want to join us," I offered awkwardly.

"Um…sure." His smile brightened. "Yeah, sure."

"Okay."

He followed closely behind me as I led him to the table, and I couldn't tell if he was too close, or not close enough. There was only one empty chair, so I reached to drag him another one from the empty table next to us.

"We could just share this one," he suggested with another smirk.

I tried to hold back my giggle, or at least the blush that flamed in my cheeks, but I couldn't help it. Damon got to me. "No, that's okay," I declined, and handed him the back of a chair.

He put his body as close to mine as possible when he grabbed it from me. "Thanks."

We sat down to a thrumming silence, and I cleared my throat. Bonnie, as usual, was the first to get the cue. "Uh, I'm Bonnie." She tried to sound confident, but I knew she was uncomfortable. "This is Caroline."

Caroline waved, a sultry look flitting across her face. "Hey."

He nodded to her. "It's nice to meet the both of you. I'm Damon Salvatore. You might go to school with my brother, Stefan."

My eyes widened and my head snapped to look at him. "Stefan's your brother?"

"I didn't tell you?"

I shook my head. "No."

He shrugged. "Well, it's true, and, by the way, don't believe anything the brat tells you about me."

I smiled to myself. Damon's love for his brother shined through his words. They must've been close.

"So, you two just moved here, then?" Bonnie confirmed.

He nodded. "Yeah, this summer."

"Where did you live before?"

"A little bit of everywhere." He folded his hands behind his neck and sat back, getting comfortable.

"That sounds exciting," Caroline supplied.

"I am."

I snorted. "So, do you have any other siblings?"

"Nope, it's just me and Stef. We live with our uncle Zach."

"No parents?" Caroline asked bluntly.

I winced. "_Carr_."

"Sorry," she whispered.

Damon waved her off. "No, it's fine. My parents died a long time ago. We've been on our own for awhile."

"So, you haven't lived with Zach all your life?" I wondered.

He shook his head 'no.' "Sometimes it's just Stefan and I, sometimes it's just me. I haven't been to Mystic Falls in years, and it's been almost as long since I've seen Stefan. When I learned he was coming back, I figured now was the perfect time for me to do the same."

"That sounds lonely," I mumbled.

He shrugged. "If I get bored, I go see Stefan, but I usually find other ways to preoccupy myself." That sounded a little bit like an innuendo.

Bonnie asked, "You're not in school?"

He waved his hand back and forth in the on-and-off gesture. "I took a year off after I graduated and then it sort of became a permanent vacation. Had a whole bunch of scholarships, but I'm just not ready quite yet. Anyway, we had a small family fortune, so I'm pretty much set."

"Well, what did you want to be?" I asked.

He laughed. "Well, what I want to be and what other people want me to be is a very long story, which I will tell you another time."

He _was _mysterious.

"So," Caroline began, "There's a Decade Dance tomorrow at our school. You should come."

"Carr, he probably doesn't want to go to a High School dance," I interjected. "Sorry, Damon."

"No," he said, "Actually, I'd love to go—that is, if you're going to be there."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh. I—am, I guess."

"What time should I pick you up?" he asked, winking.

I scrambled for an answer, feeling like I was a step behind. Bonnie beat me to the punch. "The dance starts at seven," she offered.

Damon smiled at me. "I'll pick you up at seven—it's settled."

"I guess so." Without my consent really, but, oh well.

I was excited.

**Okay, so I know that may have been a little boring, but it gets better. I promise.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So hopefully this chapter will be a little more interesting. Peace and love:)**

**Stay sassy and classy. ;)**

**P.s. shout out to my first reviewer, Forever2Never !**

…**..**

I fixed my hippie-style headband and smoothed out my dark blue dress. It was ten to seven; I was all ready to go.

My level of excitement for this night was through the roof. There was something…alluring…about Damon Salvatore. I had to know more about him.

And, I so wanted to dance with him tonight.

I bounced down the stairs excitedly. Aunt Jenna noticed my unusual attitude and smiled.

"Got a hot date?" She guessed.

I grabbed an apple out of the kitchen and sat down at one of the benches surrounding the island. Jenna leaned with her elbows on the tabletop, sipping a back coffee.

"Yes and no," I corrected.

She frowned. "Can you really have one without the other and still be so excited about it?"

I laughed—a real, hearty laugh. "Hot? Yes. Date? Not exactly."

"Something tells me by the end of the night, it will count as a date."

I grinned. There was a knock at the door, and Aunt Jenna gave me a look.

I ran to the door, and smoothed my outfit before swinging it open. "Hi." I offered Damon a bright smile.

He was dressed casually. "Sorry about this," He waved down at his leather jacket-dark-jeans outfit.

"No, that's fine. You're not into the whole dress-up thing."

"Yeah, I'm more into the dress-down thing."

That made me laugh. "Perv," I accused.

"Thanks." He held something out for me. It fit in the palm of his hand, and he had his fist closed around it, so I couldn't tell what it was.

I frowned at it. "What's that?"

"It's…a ring. Family ere loom thing; been trying to get rid of it for years. It's from the seventies, so I figured it would match your costume," he said it apologetically.

The gesture took me off guard. "Wow," I breathed as he opened his hand. It was a simple ring; a heavy blue stone and a gold band. Very hippie, yet very pretty. "Are you sure you want to lend this to me?"

He shook his head. "No, I want to give it to you."

"No way," I objected, and tried to close his fingers back over his palm. "I can't take that from you. You're going to want it someday, to give to someone else."

He caught my hand and held it in his. "No, Elena, I want to give it to _you_." His eyes lost their fierceness, and widened, a little puppy-dog. "Please?"

I smiled a little at his adorable pout. "Thank you." He dropped my hand, and somehow, the ring was already on my finger. I admired it, and his ability to slip it on without my noticing.

"I like it," he commented, and held his arm out for me. I linked mine in his and we walked to his car. He even opened the door for me, and helped me in.

"I thought chivalry was dead?" I remarked.

He smirked and got in the other side. As he buckled his belt, he said, "I've never heard that."

"Really?" That surprised me. "Everyone says it."

"Huh."

"Guess you were raised right."

He raised his eyebrows. "That can't be; I raised myself, remember." That could have been a serious comment, but the way he said it made it light. Talking to him was easy.

We began driving smoothly. Again, I saw that he was a good driver. I liked watching him drive. His eyes were concentrated on the road, lips softly pouting. "Were you one of those rebel-with-a-cause kids?" I asked before I forgot where I was.

He laughed. "I was mostly…uncontrollable. I wasn't really rebelling against anything, though."

I titled my head to the side curiously. "What do you mean?"

He sighed quietly. "I…can't explain it right now." His hands tightened on the steering wheel just slightly. He had a ring on his middle finger, I noted.

"I've seen that ring before." I blurted.

He glanced at me. "What?"

"I—On Stefan. He wears the same ring."

"Oh. Oh, yeah." He twisted it on his finger. "Another family ere loom. Our ancestors were hoarders."

I smiled again, then pointed to the radio. "Do you mind if I turn it on?"

"Not at all." He made a sharp turn, and I, shocked, braced my hands against the door. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine," I said, shaking my head. "Cars just freak me out a little, that's all." I reached for the radio, and put it on my favorite station. A good song was playing, so I turned it up and nodded a long. "Do you know this one?" I asked.

He shrugged. "A little."

I tried for small talk. "Do you have a favorite band?"

"Nah. There're too many great ones. I love rock, though."

"Mmm." I fiddled with my ring. "Thanks again for this, I..really do like it."

"I'm glad."

I sighed in defeat. There was something a lot more pressing than rock music on my mind. "Damon?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what you told me that night, on Wickery Bridge?"

His eyes tightened. "I…yes. I told you what you wanted."

"What do _you_ want?"

His mouth twitched, fighting a smile. "You."

My heart jumped. "You do?"

"Mm. I want to reach across this car and touch you; I want to kiss you; I want you to be _mine_. I want you to be safe, and I want to show you all those things I told you that you were looking for. I want you to know that I can be all those things. I want you to be happy."

I'd never get used to how quickly he changed the mood-one minute it was all jokes and light comments, and then he was confessing his desire for me. "I am happy…right now." It was the truth. He made me happy.

I loved that.

We pulled into the parking lot of the school. He got out of the car and opened my door for me in a flash.

"You're fast," I noticed.

He winked.

Inside, the dance was throbbing with music and chatter. Bonnie and Caroline waved, and we said hi. Caroline's curls had been flipped a little more, and hair-sprayed to look a little bigger, in that seventies poof. Bonnie was dressed in a flowery shirtdress with a white belt around the hip.

"You guys look fantastic," I said brightly.

"So do you," Bonnie returned, and sent a shy smile towards Damon. "Hi."

He gave her a warm look. "Hey, Bonnie. Caroline."

Caroline was a little bolder, and she batted her eyelashes. "Hey, Damon."

"So…" Damon rocked back on his heels confidently. "Should I do the 'I'll-get-us-punch' thing?"

I grinned. "Sure, that sounds good."

He sauntered over to the punch table, looking pretty great as he did so.

Bonnie nudged me. "I know you're too busy staring at Damon's butt to notice, but Stefan Salvatore just walked in and he's totally watching you."

I frowned and looked for him over my shoulder. I instantly met those hazel eyes, and he waved, giving a shy smile. I waved back pleasantly, and gestured for him to come over.

He came to me like something was drawing him there, like he was the fish and I was reeling him in.

"You look beautiful," he said fervently.

"Thank you." I could tell he really meant it, and that made my heart bulge. He was sweet.

Damon came back and handed me a bright red drink. "Stefan." He sounded surprised to see his brother.

"Damon." Stefan stuck his hand out, and Damon shook it.

"It's been a while," Damon hinted.

"Is this the first time you've seen each other since you've been in Mystic Falls?" I asked incredulously.

Stefan shrugged as though it had been practiced. "We've haven't really gotten the chance to catch up yet." He addressed his brother. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Damon mirrored his expression. "Likewise."

A silent tension fell around us, like a balloon with too much air, ready to pop at the slightest touch. I cleared my throat. "Well, it was nice to see you Stefan."

His smile grew sad, and this time, my heart clenched. _"_Take care, Elena_."_ It was an odd phrase, an underused phrase, and seemed as though it held a hidden significance of some sort. I made a mental note to write about it later.

"Thank you."

He walked away, a little too quickly, and I watched him. "Is he alright?" I wondered.

Damon shrugged, and his arms slid around me cautiously, testing my reaction. "I'm sure everything's fine." He spun me into his chest, so that if I were to tilt my head up just the slightest bit, our lips would be touching. "Would you like to dance, Elena?" There was that butterflies-in-stomach inducing pronunciation of my name again. My breath caught.

"I'd love to."

His hands slid down to my hips, and he led me to a less crowded corner. We swayed to the old, happy music, and I found myself laughing and getting lost in those blue eyes a lot. Damon was a good dancer—his movements were fluid, smooth. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and it was all very lighthearted and cheery— until the music slowed.

He drew me closer subtly, and we moved together more slowly. "So, Damon, will you tell me more about you now?"

His hands tightened on my waist in what seemed like suspicion. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." I smiled a little. "Tell me about the place you last lived."

He pushed a strand of hair back from my face and spoke quietly. "Seattle. I lived in Seattle for awhile before here." His thumb swiped across my bottom lip delicately, and his hand caressed my cheek. "It's busy there. People are everywhere; there's life, and color, and noise, lots of noise. You would have liked it."His eyes were warm, intense.

"It sounds beautiful."

"It was," he agreed. "I like it better here, though."

I frowned. "How can that be? There's nothing special about Mystic Falls."

Humor sparked in his eyes, but he avoided my question. "There's a whole world out there, Elena, and you're just starving for it. I see it."

I took a deep breath. "How do you know these things?"

He closed his eyes briefly. "I'm smart."

"I mean it. How do you know so much about me?"

"I've been around the block a few times, Elena. I know the game pretty well."

I backed off a little. "What do you mean? Damon, how old are you?"

He cleared his throat a little. "I'm—twenty four."

My eyes widened, but I tried to at least keep my voice even. "You're not that much older than I am," I lied. "But you act like you know so much more—no, you do know so much more. How?"

He shrugged. "Experience."

My eyes narrowed in admiration.

"What?"

I blinked. "It's nothing."

"Were you enjoying looking at me? I'm gorgeous, I know."

I laughed and fell back into his arms. "You're cocky, you know."

"I know. I've come to accept the term 'sociopath' as a compliment."

I raised my eyebrows. "Sociopath? I don't know if I'd go that far."

"Well, you're not a bitter ex-girlfriend, are you?" He paused. "Yet."

I rolled my eyes. "What makes you so sure of yourself?"

"I'm _myself_." He winked and pulled our arms up, and spun me around, and then back into him. "To be honest, I was actually a little nervous tonight."

"Oh?" He'd hidden it well; tonight, Damon had been the most confident person in the room.

"Mm. You ask a lot of questions and I…"-he leaned into me and whispered in my ear, "I have a secret." He pulled back and pressed a finger to his lips.

I pressed my lips together. "You're not a serial killer, are you?"

"Not exactly."

I held in my gasp and stopped dancing. For a long time, we just stared each other down. Finally, I spoke. "You know what, everyone has secrets. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a whole book full of them hidden at my house. I would never hand those over to just anyone, so I don't expect you to come clean right now, or tomorrow, or even this week. Maybe I have horrible instincts, but I—I don't—I'm not scared of you." I stumbled through the words, knowing they were true but also well aware of how stupid that was. Mom had always told me 'never trust a man who can dance.' Still, "I trust you. Something about you makes me trust you. So, I'm just going to dance with you tonight, and be happy for what feels like the first time in months, and then we can deal with the rest whenever. Okay?"

His eyes narrowed.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

"Kiss me."

Something curled in my stomach—more butterflies, maybe—and I read right into his wide eyes. Like it wasn't a choice, I leaned forward, leaned _closer,_ and then I could hear his breathing come faster. I felt my own heart thumping rapidly, and I reached up to meet his lips.

Damon's head bent at a slight angle so that I didn't have to stand on my toes to get to him. He pulled me so close that I could feel the muscles of his abdomen pressing against my stomach, could feel his heartbeat against mine, could feel his whole body shaking. I shuddered as his teeth grazed my lip, and he pulled back abruptly.

He coughed a little, stepping away. "I, uh…am going to get us more punch."

I spent the rest of the weekend worrying about Damon's secret. I'd told him that it didn't really matter, but that had been an outright lie—maybe not when I'd said it, but it was now. I needed to know what he was hiding. I could feel in my bones that it was dangerous. Still, my trust in him didn't waver. I didn't understand how that could be, but there was no denying it. I wasn't scared of Damon—if anything, I was attracted to him.

For the past four months, I'd been living my life hanging on to the edge of a cliff. My fingers had been slipping, and I was just about to fall when I met Damon.

I knew he wasn't going to pull me back up; I couldn't live on that side of the mountain anymore. Damon was the kind of person who would fall with me. The thing was, falling could either change my life for the best, or it could kill me. There could be a trampoline on the other side to catch us, or we could hit the ground.

All my life, I'd never taken chances. I'd never had to. Everything had been easy. I'd had people to guide me, I'd had warmth, I'd had love. I was never going to feel that again, but I could try to find a new path. I just didn't know how.

On Monday morning, I woke up to sunshine and a smile on my face. It felt foreign; it felt good. I sat up slowly, running a hand through my long hair. My blankets had slipped to floor; I must've tossed and turned in my sleep. That was strange, because I felt well rested.

I reached for my radio to turn on some music, when I noticed the ring Damon had given me was on my finger.

I frowned. I was certain that I had taken it off when I'd gotten home from the dance. I'd set it right down next to that radio, on my bedside table. I knew I'd put it there, because I'd checked later last night to make sure it was still where it was supposed to be—that ring was important to me. There was no way that I'd put it back on, because tonight I'd made dinner, and I wouldn't have worn it to make spaghetti sauce.

I couldn't come up with an explanation, so instead I turned on a good song, and began to get ready for school.

As I dressed, I pondered my ring. It looked a bit like Stefan and Damon's rings, actually. I wondered if Stefan would recognize it, if I showed it to him.

At around seven, I was out of my room. I paused on my way downstairs to knock on Jeremy's door. I hear him stir inside, but he didn't answer me.

Taking a deep breath, I opened it and walked in quietly. "Jer?"

"What do you want?" He was sitting cross-legged, playing on his laptop, already dressed, headphones in his ears.

"I…" I took a seat next to him on his bed. "I wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?" His voice was harsh, sarcastic.

I frowned. "Can you please take the earphones out, Jer?"

He sighed irritably and yanked them out. "What, Elena?"

I scooted closer, trying to get him to look me in the eye. "Are you okay?"

He looked away. "Can we not do this now?"

"Answer me."

"Elena."

"Jeremy, answer the question."

He snapped his laptop shut. "What do you think?" He shouted. "Our parents died four months ago. Vikki is sleeping with Tyler Lockwood—she thinks I'm a _kid_. And everyone always want to talk! But what if I don't want to? What if I like not talking? What if it hurts to talk? What if it feels better to keep it all in?"

I closed my eyes for a small moment. "You can talk to me, Jeremy. I need you to talk to me."

"I need you to leave me alone." He shoved his headphones back in and opened up his laptop again.

"Jeremy please," I begged.

"Get out, Elena. _Now_."

I swallowed back tears and left the room.

Some part of me had expected Damon to be waiting for me outside, so I wasn't too surprised to see his car idling in the driveway.

"Good morning," I greeted as I stepped into the car.

"I bet."

I rolled my eyes, but then, I frowned. "Can I ask you something? It's going to sound a little…crazy."

He shrugged. "You can ask, but I can't promise an answer."

I decided to take my chances. "Is there…history behind the ring you gave me?"

"Why do you ask?"

I paused. "It's…going to sound weird."

He simply waited.

With a sigh, I said, "I…took it off the other night, after the dance, and I put it on my bedside table, I'm sure of it. I know I didn't put it back on, but this morning, I was wearing it."

His eyes hardened a bit. "Are you sure you didn't just put it on and forget about it?"

"I'm positive, Damon."

It was quiet for a minute, and then he laughed. It was different from the other times I'd heard that laugh, though—this time it seemed forced. "Careful, Elena, it might be magical." His eyebrows rose.

I grinded my teeth. "Fine, don't believe me, but something weird really did happen."

He looked uncomfortable. "You should never take that off, Elena. Alright?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Why? And I thought you didn't believe that it was 'magical'?"

"I don't—it's not." His eyelids fluttered tiredly. "But, you should always keep it on. Think of it as a…good luck charm."

I felt the ring with my thumb. "Okay."

"Thank you." He turned a corner, and the heavy mood seemed to be left on the other side of it. "So, how was your weekend? Full of pining over me, I'm sure?"

_Precisely_. "No."

He grinned, like he didn't believe me. "Whatever you say."

I crossed my arms. "I'm sure you pined enough for the both of us."

"Oh?"

I nodded. "Mmhm. I bet you _dreamed_ about me."

"That's a smart bet."

My heart tripped over itself. Before I could respond, he pulled up to the school. I sighed as I looked out the window at the bustling building. I wished I could stay in this car, all day with Damon…who was suddenly bent over me, mouth on my cheek, kissing my ear lightly when he spoke. "Have a good daydream…I mean, day."

I laughed lightly, shakily, on my way out of the car. This time, I did wave to him when I before going in the door of the school. He blew me a kiss in return.

Damon was a player, I was smart enough to know that. I was also smart enough not to fall for a player—but not strong enough not to fall _with_ a player.


	3. Chapter 3

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On my way to my locker, I caught sight of Stefan amongst the packed crowds of students. I waved to him, to get his attention. He nodded and came over to me.

"Hey, Elena," he greeted. His voice was low, serious, and yet pleasant.

I smiled. "Hello, Stefan. Listen, I wanted to ask you about something."

He shrugged and readjusted his backpack strap. "Fire away."

A loose strand of hair fell over my face when I titled my head down to view Stefan's hand—or, more specifically, his middle finger—; I tucked it behind my ear. "That ring you wear. Do you know where it came from?"

A muscle in his jaw constricted. "Why do you ask?"

I scrambled for a convincing excuse. "Uh, I—It just looks familiar. I'm a little bit of a history-nerd. I could've sworn I've seen that somewhere."

His eyes softened with his bare smile. "You're right, actually—it traces back all the way to the eighteen sixties." The warning bell rang, frustratingly, interrupting him. He shifted his position again, and I read the body language keenly.

"Well, I'd love to hear more about it sometime," I said, wrapping up our conversation.

"I'd love to tell you about it." His eyes were sincere, but I asked just in case:

"Are you sure? I know it's kind of a weird question."

His smile grew a little, and it was lopsided. Cute. "I'm certain."

"Thank you. I've just been really curious…in fact, what period do you have study hall?"

He puckered his brow in thought. "Sixth…I think."

I nodded. "I have lunch then, can I meet you in the library?"

"Absolutely."

We bid our goodbyes a bit awkwardly, and I rushed to my locker, nervous to be late. I wasn't really watching as I threw books in and out of the locker, so when I closed the door and ran into a muscled form, I gasped in surprise.

I looked up into grey-blue eyes that matched the falling snow outside. "Oh, my gosh, Matt, I'm sorry, I didn't see you." It was then that I realized there was something very off in Matt Donovan's expression (and not the wow-this-is-awkward off type of off). "Matt?"

"Elena! It's Vikki—and Jeremy—come on, we have to go." He sprinted towards the doors, and I followed on his heels, a horrible, crushing panic straining against my chest.

I couldn't lose Jeremy. There was only so much a person could take. My heart raced, and my breathing was painful.

I could see the glass doors to the back of the school—where all the crack-heads hang out—just around the corner. I pushed my legs harder. Tears choked in my throat. Oh, God, I would die before I lost Jeremy.

The walls began to cave in, and the doors got closer, and closer until we burst through. There were sirens in the distance. Jer and Vikki were lying on the sidewalk next to each other, in pools of blood.

I flung myself to them, adrenaline tripling my normal speed. I was next to them in a flash, and then I was on my knees next to Jeremy, and I cried from the intense relief that wracked my entire being when I saw the heavy lifting a dropping of his chest. He was breathing. But…Vikki wasn't.

I cleared the tears from my eyes. Once my vision was no longer blurred, I could see the source of all the blood was coming from two deep marks on each of their necks.

I frowned. They almost looked like…bite marks.

I fell backwards, feeling the horrifying image wedge itself permanently into my mind.

It could have been an animal…if this hadn't happened on school grounds. What kind of animal would attack in the back of a high school? They didn't come out into the open like that—or did they? It seemed ridiculous.

As I sat out there, I wished I'd worn something warmer. I was shivering head to toe, but there was absolutely no way I'd leave Jeremy.

I was grateful that the snow had stopped, but I was still kneeling in the smooth, uninterrupted blanket of it, and my pants were getting soaked. Jeremy was, too; I worried for him. His lips were turning blue…Vikki's were white.

I looked over to Matt, and his face was…empty. Blank, emotionless, dead,

I got up and shook him. "Matt."

Nothing.

"Matt!" He was scaring me now. "Matt, you're in shock." I even slapped at his cheeks, and pushed him—hard. He stumbled, but otherwise didn't respond to any of my attempts to bring him back.

I went back to assessing the damage done to Jer and Vik.

Her whit lips twitched suddenly, and I frowned. "Vikki?"

"Vampire3," she whispered in a voice so quiet, it almost got lost in the blowing wind. "What?"

But she was out cold, and now I knew what had caused Matt's freak out.

He believed her.

I waited in the snow next to Jeremy's heaving body until the ambulance arrived. Jer's hand was cold in mine, but I promised myself it was because of the temperature outside.

Before the paramedics, came the least person I expected to see.

Damon.

It was out of nowhere; one minute I was alone, and the next his large, warm, hands were on my cheeks, holding my face comfortingly.

"Elena?" He sounded a little…tortured. He was bent down in front of me, smoothing my hair under his hands, looking very concerned. His eyes were wide, lips left slightly parted open. He resembled an over-protective boyfriend—which, on some level, he probably was just that. "Elena, what the hell?" He demanded.

I nodded towards Jer. "My brother."

He looked behind him like it was the first he'd noticed of the two bloodied figures. He made an "oh" sound and went over to his side. Upon seeing the wounds on Jeremy's neck, he flinched slightly.

Snapping his fingers in front of Jeremy's nose, he called, "Hey, kid? You with me?"

There was a moan and my heart squeezed.

"Look here." Damon pulled his fingers up to his eyes and snapped them again. When Jeremy met his stare he went on, "You had an accident, but you're going to be fine. It was an animal attack—came out of nowhere. Okay?"

Jer's head bobbed up and down. "Out of nowhere," he agreed mechanically.

My emotions raced as I watched Jeremy's face blank the way Tanner's had when Stefan had spoken to him about closing the blinds.

"What is that?" I demanded.

"What's what?"

"That…thing you and your brother do with your eyes. That makes people repeat your exact words?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He moved on to Matt, taking his shoulder.

"Don't bother," I discouraged. "He's in shock or something. I already tried."

The words seemed to fly right over Damon's head as he proceeded to speak to Matt's unresponsive form. "Knock, knock. You in there, Matt?"

Matt blinked, and curls of suspicious unfolded in my core.

This time, whatever Damon whispered was too quiet for me to hear.

This brought me back to the term that Vikki had sighed in her own inaudible whisper: Vampire.

"Do you know who did this, Damon?" I asked boldly.

"Do you?"

I narrowed my eyes and avoided his question, instead asking one of my own (which wasn't really fair, but I wasn't in a very generous mood.) "Why are you here?"

"Why not?"

"Damon, I'm serious. How did you know what happened?"

He sighed. "I…am friends with Sheriff Forbes. I was at the station when she got Matt's call."

I frowned. "So how did you get here before she did?"

"I have a faster car," he replied smoothly.

Reluctantly, I accepted the answer. "Well, then…thank you, Damon."

His features pooled into a warm look of surprise. "You're welcome," he said simply.

The ambulance pulled up dangerously close to the bodies just then, with the cop cars tagging right behind it.

Damon snorted and stated dryly as the wheels of the cars just barely avoided printing tire tracks into Jer's ankle, "That would've been ironic."

He was right, and it was funny; getting run over by an ambulance would be like…choking to death on a Life Savor. I, however, was not quite in the mood for humor, and so instead of engaging in Damon's witty comment, I left him hanging like an old pair of tennis shoes on a telephone wire.

A slender, salt and pepper haired man approached me, wanting to know, "What happened?"He was dressed in an all white uniform, so I gathered that he worked at the hospital. There was something untrustworthy in his weasel-shaped eyes that I didn't like at all.

"I'm not sure, I didn't see any of it, but that's my brother and…" I pointed to Matt, "his sister."

"Names," he prompted.

"Jeremy Gilbert and Vikki Donovan," I supplied hesitantly. I wasn't particularly inclined to give the rude man any information. At least my answer had satisfied him; he nodded and whisked himself away, leaving me to my own devices.

I looked around, suddenly noticing that Damon was gone. Before I had time to ponder it too much, Sheriff Forbes, Caroline's mother, approached me. She had short blonde hair, kind features, and a maternal way about her. "Elena, what's happened here? Did you see anything?"

I shook my head 'no' and then gave her a rundown of how I'd found them. After my recount, she advised me to call Jenna, and then she went to talk to a very pale Matt.

We were in Jer's hospital room until eight o'clock that night. It was small and white and smelled of hand sanitizer mixed with something damp and moldy. Jeremy's heart monitor gave off a steady, reassuring beep.

I was nervous in his room. Harsh, cold memories came rushing back to me. I'd never wanted to see the inside of a hospital again after the crash. I hadn't been hurt enough when the car went over to stay in one of the rooms overnight, but still, all I could associate ERs with was the panic I'd felt that day. They'd brought me to the hospital to get me 'all checked out' and while I'd been fine, my parents hadn't even made it into the building. I'd been _all alone_.

I shook off the haunting memory and firmly reminded myself to, "move forward with life" and "focus on the present."

I scowled at the large white bandage on Jeremy's neck. It intimidated me, because—it didn't belong there. Yet, there it was, stuck to what little skin he had left in that area, taunting me. It was like being told not to forget how quickly things could be taken from me. The universe wasn't going to stop at just my parents. I had the morbid feeling that I had all-out bad luck, and that it was going to be a take one, take all type thing.

I wouldn't let that happen, though. I would fight for Jeremy. I _could_ fight against it this time—some stupid animal with the nerve to make a meal out of my brother would not stand a chance against an angry, overly protective 'me'. I had not forgotten how to be a mean girl; I had simply chosen not to act like one anymore. I could change that very quickly, though. I could be very whiney when I wanted—and whining usually worked when you needed to get your way. I wasn't proud of it, but I probably knew that better than anyone. In this case, what I wanted was for every police officer in the county to be searching those woods for any animal that could've done this-assuming it was an animal.

I'd stayed all day as Jeremy drifted in and out. Each time he did awaken, he was loopy, and his hand, which I was holding in mine, was squeeze into a fist. The doctors said he'd lost a lot of blood, that it was another miracle for the Gilbert family that he'd even survived. This time I agreed with their definition of 'miracle.'

Looking at that bandage on his neck, though, all I could keep thinking, no matter how hard I tried to forget it, was '_vampire_'.

Was it true? _Could_ it be true?

I wasn't a believer. Mystic Falls may've had a crazy history, but those stories were all _just_ stories, just legends that were dreamed up before we had science to disprove them.

Right?

But who was I to blindly instill my trust in logic? To simply cross my fingers and hope for the best? I needed to do a little digging, even if all I accomplished in the end was ensuring that I wasn't actually going insane.

I needed to have that meeting with Stefan…and then I needed to have one with Sheriff Forbes. I needed to get to the bottom of this, take it into my own hands. My family was a concern now, which meant that all my facts had to be solid, and all my explanations sound, without any dangerous slips or loopholes. I had people to protect-including myself.

Because I had a bad feeling that my sort-of boyfriend had a Hell of a lot to do with all of this, and so did his charming little brother.

At eight o'clock, they kicked Jenna and me out. Jer was expected to be asleep for the night. We'd been assured a thousand times over that nothing bad was going to happen overnight, and that we could, _should_, go home and get some rest because he'd still be there in the morning. We knew the doctors were right, and took the advice to heart; it'd been a long day, and it was best for us to go home and sleep off some of our panic and anxiety. When Jeremy awakened for good, he'd need some positivity around him. He'd be scared enough, finding himself minus a few quarts of blood, in an unfamiliar hospital room, with a machine hooked up to his chest.

Jenna drove me home, since I didn't have my own car with me. We passed by the school on the way. The streetlamps cast a bright glow against the dark blue sky, taking the place of the stars that had not yet come out. They shone on the High School, like the beacons you would find behind a singing angel, or the spotlights pointing out a performer on a stage. I could see the windows, all frosted over icily, and that little dots of salt were strewn up the walkway, in preparation for the crowds of kids that were sure to slip all over the place the coming morning. The building seemed normal…except for the red and blue flashing lights bouncing off the back sides of the it.

Strangely enough, something in my core seemed to be dragging me into that back parking lot. It was as though I would miss something I if didn't go, something vitally important...so I made Jenna stop the car.

With a bewildered feeling in my bones and a determined one in my mind, I succumbed to the unusual urge and followed my body's instincts to the scene of the accident. As though obeying an order, I stepped out of the car silently and shut the door on Jenna, who was sitting in the driver's side looking just as confused as I felt.

The back driveway up to the doors had been taped off rather dramatically, and a few cop cars still lingered a bit ominously. There must've been an investigation going on…and the worried feeling that gave me made the back my throat heavy and thick so that I could barely swallow.

As I trudged on, a pompous officer warned me, with an almost amusing exaggeration about it, not to get too close. I complied willingly, because I could see everything I needed to from right where I was.

The snow.

There was a layer of it, still fresh from the morning. The police men and women's tracks were embedded in it all around the area that was taped off, leaving clear footprints.

There had been none when I'd found Jeremy early this morning, aside from mine and Matt's. To be sure that my memory served me right, I let my eyes wander up the concrete to the backdoors we'd come out of. My smaller tracks and Matt's clunky, uneven ones stood out obviously, and they led all the way under the tape.

But there were no tracks in there that didn't belong to Matt and I—Jeremy and Vikki's tracks had been erased.

Whatever "animal" that had attacked them had been smart enough to cover its tracks.

I got back into Jenna's car feeling as ice-cold and pale as the snow.

"Not to be cliché, but you look like you've seen a ghost," Jenna commented. No questions were asked about why I'd made her stop the car. She was just cool about it. I loved that about my Aunt; she trusted me to make my own decisions and to keep my own secrets.

I forced a convincing smile for her benefit. "I think I'm just a little chilly." I rubbed my arms up and down with the inside of my hands briskly, making a spectacle of trying to increase my body heat with friction. She turned up the heater for me, but I knew she was too smart to buy my excuse. She seemed to be letting me off the hook; she probably figured if she asked, she would only get herself trapped in a whole that she should've just camouflaged up with leaves.

We arrived home, and it was bright and warm, but it was not where I needed to be. I needed to talk to Stefan.

Damon had disappeared rather mysteriously after the police and the paramedics had come to the scene, and I hadn't seen him since. If I stalked down Stefan and invaded his house, I would not only be being rude, but I would risk running into Damon, and there was something strong and persistent in my head warning me to keep my investigation from him.

I weighed my choices in frustration. It really was just as likely that Damon was staying with Stefan, as it was that he _wasn't_.

I wondered, practically, if I could even find Stefan's house—_someone_ had to know where he lived, right? Besides, I had a way of finding the Salvatore brothers when I wasn't looking. No, I didn't really think finding the house would be too much of a problem. The real issue was that my impatience could ruin everything, and it just wasn't worth the risk. Damon would discourage my plans if he knew about them and then I'd never know what he was keeping from me (because his 'secret' had to be tied into all this. It _had_ to be.) Before Jeremy had been attacked, my curiosity was simply an annoying presence in the back of my mind, but now that the little family I had left was involved, I had a right to know what Damon was hiding.

Something told me Damon would think differently. I wasn't lying before when I'd said that I trusted him, but I was learning now that that faith had limits.

The safest thing for me to do was wait, and so, reluctantly, I locked myself in my room for the night. After sending out replies to some supportive texts from Bonnie and Caroline, I set my phone on my dresser and clicked my light out. The darkness was unsettling, and I tossed and turned in my bed uncomfortably. It was very cold, and my blankets suddenly felt inadequate. I frowned when I felt a gust of wind on my shoulders.

With a sigh, I realized I'd forgotten to close my window. I went to close it, but then, it hit me.

_No. _I'd closed it Saturday night. I _knew_ I had, because I'd seen that snow was in the forecast for the weekend, and I hadn't been interested in getting frostbite in my sleep. Snow was rare in Virginia, so I'd made a point to remember to close that window. I _knew_ I'd shut it.

Just like I knew I'd put my ring on that table.

My next shudder had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So, I wanted to give a shout-out to a guest review from 'Cndy'. **

**Cindy, I absolutely adore this review! It made my whole day. I don't want to give away the story, so I won't say too much, but I just really wanted to tell you 'thank you'! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. **

**This chapter is dedicated to all my reviewers**** Enjoy, guys!**

I didn't sleep much that night; I was too frightened to do anything other than slide further under my blankets, and try to ignore the chilling winds whipping around my room. The whole night had been freezing-cold, but I wouldn't have gone near that window for a million dollars.

I'd dozed off for maybe an hour or so before finally I gave up on sleep altogether, and threw my covers off my shivering body. The frosty air swept over me, and I jumped up and ran for my closet. Throwing on my heaviest sweater, I started downstairs for some breakfast.

I was the only one awake in the house. I checked the clock hanging up in the living room as I passed through; it was only five thirty. With a sigh, I made my way into the kitchen and began to brew a coffee. I knew I'd need the extra caffeine to get me through the coming day.

The tiles were cold on my feet. As I waited for my coffee to finish brewing, I hunted around the room for a pad of paper and a pen. In a junk drawer, I made a lucky find. I sat down at the island and shoved my messy hair behind my ears.

At the top of my To-Do List, I wrote:

_*Check on Jeremy. _

He was obviously my first priority. I hoped the hospital had been warmer than my room for him. '_Would Jenna mind if I went to see Jer without her?'_ I wondered to myself.

I amended that if she wasn't down by the time I'd finished breakfast, I'd head out alone—even if I had to walk. With that resolved, I continued writing:

_*Stop by Stefan's house_

I was anxious, nervous, and excited to see what information Stefan would have about the ring he and his brother wore. I had to know if it had any connection to the one Damon had given to me.

_*Call the Sherriff _

Sherriff Forbes was my next move. If anyone knew what Damon was hiding, I was going to assume it was her. Had he not said they were friends? If I knew anything about Caroline's mom, it was that she was big on trust, just as I was. If she was friends with Damon, there was a reason for it. She wasn't one to waste her time on people who weren't worth it.

I was suddenly struck by a haunting thought. Had I not trusted Damon blindly? Was that an effect he had on many people? That thing that he did with his eyes…could that have been a part of our odd faith in him?

I chewed on the inside of my cheek nervously, and moved onto my next task to distract myself from my pondering.

_*Buy lock for window_

I was tempted to go out right then and there and take care of that one. I was thoroughly freaked out that someone had opened my window, and may have even slipped my ring onto my finger.

I remembered, with a jolt of fear, how swiftly and easily Damon had put that ring on me in the first place. I'd been surprised to find myself wearing it, surprised that he'd been able to get it on me without my feeling it.

Had he come into my bedroom and put the ring on my finger?

No. That was crazy. Why would he do that? He wouldn't—it didn't make sense. It was just a ring that he'd been trying to get rid of. He'd said so himself.

But he'd also said more, I recalled. "_You should never take that off, Elena_." He'd never filled me in on why, but it had seemed very important to him that I wore it.

I was at least certain of one thing: that ring wasn't just a good luck charm. It was something much, much more.

The coffee maker beeped, and I gasped at the unexpected noise. Then, I dropped my pen down and left the list on the tabletop as I retrieved my mug from the sleek, updated machine and added cream and sugar. I took a slow sip and pushed my hair back from my slightly sweaty forehead.

Something really big and really dangerous was going on. I could feel it pushing I on the town ominously—

There was a knock at my door.

Perplexed, I peeked around the corner to check the living room clock again. It was still before 6:00a.m. Who would be at my door at this hour?

Tentatively, I pulled a few napkins off the counter and slid them under my feet, so that whoever was outside wouldn't be able to hear my footsteps. I shuffled my way to the stove, and grabbed the cast iron pan that I was going to make eggs in off the back burner. With my heart pounding violently, I crept through the hallway, towards the door. I clung to the side of the wall as I went, hoping no one could see me through the window.

When I reached the door, I crouched down to shield my form from the window at the top, and tightened my grip on my pan. Slowly, I reached myself up until only my eyes were looking through the glass. I jumped back, startled, when I met someone else's.

My panic attack had a two second lifespan, until I realized the wide, doe-brown eyes belonged to my best friend, Bonnie.

I quickly turned the lock and let her in. She was shaking, dressed only in her pajamas, wearing a strange, glowing necklace around her neck.

"Elena, I need help."

Bonnie sat on my couch, wrapped in blankets, as Jenna slept soundly upstairs. She was probably over tired; I estimated that I had about seven to have an apparently much-needed talk with Bonnie.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, patting her arm supportively. Her shaking had stopped once she was out of the old, but her eyes were still scared.

"I might be going insane," she admitted, laughing without the slightest trace of humor.

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"I—I'm a witch."

My eyes bugged. "Whoa, slow down. Start from the beginning, and tell me everything."

So, she did. "You know how I was a little MIA this summer?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, I was, too," I reminded her.

She blinked. "Sorry, I—"

"No, I wasn't trying to—you know."

"I know," she finished for me kindly. "Anyway, I was spending a lot of time with my Grams."

"I thought your parents said she was kind of…loopy?"

"She is—kind of. But, she was telling me stories about our heritage, about the line of Bennett witches, and at first, I thought she was just crazy, you know? Witches don't exist.

She told me that there was this really powerful witch, Emily, and that she used to live here, in Mystic Falls. Emily supposedly descended from one of the witches accused during the Salem Witch trials in 1692. She practiced magic in the 1860's, and she had this really close friend, Katherine. Katherine Pierce. I don't know what for, but Emily made jewelry for her—like, enchanted it. It was weird. I know that they were good friends, though, until Katherine gave up her secret to the first Founding Families of Mystic Falls. They burned her at the stake, and as far as I know, everything she had was lost."

I drew in a deep breath as I considered the story. "So...what? You think it's true?"

"Yes."

"_Why?_"

Fear and a bit of excitement glinted in her eyes. "Because, I…" she looked around, and her gaze settled on a heavy blue book sitting on the coffee table. It was probably one of Jenna's reads.

I waited for her to grab the book, or to tell me that there was something hidden in it, but instead, she just stared at it. I could tell that she was really focusing on it. Her hands were balled in fists, her forehead scrunched in concentration—

It moved. Just a little at first, and then an inch, and then it flew at least of foot in the air, above our heads. It was just suspended there in midair. For one second, I took my eyes off of it to look at Bonnie in alarm. She was watching it with a strange look on her face; she wasn't surprised. This had happened to her before.

"Give me a page number," Bonnie instructed.

My throat was dry. "Um…one hundred?" I croaked out.

She recited the first sentence of the first paragraph, and then, miraculously, the book opened to that page. She dropped it back down on the table slowly and I leaned forward to check. Her words matched up with the first sentence exactly.

She was a witch; my best friend practiced magic.

"Oh…my…God," I whispered quietly. Then it got louder. "Oh my God!" then, I was laughing, but frightened tears were tracking down my cheeks. 'Oh my God!" I hugged her tightly, and we sobbed.

Because I knew then that it hadn't been an animal that attacked my brother—but it also hadn't been a human. I wasn't exactly sure of what it was, but...if witches could exist, could vampires?

I stopped by the hospital to check on Jeremy at seven. Bonnie ended up driving me there. He was awake, and as soon as I'd walked through the doors, Jenna had texted me saying she'd be there to discharge him by seven-thirty.

Jeremy had been glad to have company. Bonnie offered to stay with him while I ran my errands. I double checked with Jer that he was okay, and then went to take care of business.

The first thing I wanted to do was find Stefan. I figured the best person to ask would be Caroline; my guess was correct—she texted me his number, and his address.

I sat outside his house, just out of view, and called him. I felt like a complete stalker, but I needed to know who was home before I went and knocked on his door.

He picked up on the third ring. "Hello?" He sounded surprised to have a caller.

"Stefan? It's Elena Gilbert calling. I'm sorry it's such short notice, but I'm actually kind of standing outside your house right now. Do you think we could talk about that ring?"

"Of course. Come on in, the door's open."

"Thank you, Stefan."

I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my dark jeans and walked about thirty yards to get to his grand house. It was really stunning—and _huge_. The house Tudor style, the bottom half all red brick, and it was shaded by old, tall trees. The green of the lawn against the brown of the detail was gorgeous.

The home had a view of the beautiful forest on one side, and the other, the front, faced a quaint street that was nearly empty of traffic. It was like entering a whole other world; once I stepped foot on that perfectly manicured lawn, I was no longer a part of Mystic Falls.

Stefan was waiting for me, holding the door open. He smiled at my gaping. "You like it."

"It's incredible," I consented.

Inside, there was dark-wood paneling, golden light fixtures, and brilliant chandeliers. Framed paintings were hung amongst other fancy wall ornaments, including two crossed swords and a few flickering candles. Formal sofas and chairs centered around an inviting fireplace completed the perfect picture. It was elegant, extravagant…but it was still homey, somehow, still comfortable.

"Did you decorate this?" I asked incredulously.

He laughed. "No, I really don't know who did…Zach—my uncle Zach, I mean—he lived here before I did. So, I ah, don't know."

I nodded slowly, feeling a bit awkward. "Oh. Well." I was struck by a strange, sudden thought. "Isn't today a school day?"

He shook his head. "They called it off, for the investigation."

The information clicked in my head like turning on a light bulb. "Oh," I said, exaggerating the word. "That makes sense."

"You wanted to know about my ring," he verified.

I nodded. "Please."

"I'm going to make popcorn—I know, it's kind of strange, but I haven't had company in a while and, I'm kind of hungry, and it's a bit of a long story that I have to tell, so…"

I smiled. "Sounds great. Do you want help?"

He shook his head 'no,' before disappearing into the kitchen. I stood uncomfortably in front of the couch, listening to the bag he put in the microwave pop. A few minutes later, he returned with a pair of scissors in one hand, and a full, steaming bag of buttery, salty-smelling popcorn in the other. He was bouncing the bag up in his hand to keep from burning himself.

He set the bag on a side table next to the couch, and used the scissors to cut it open. I didn't blame him for not trying to pull it open with his hands; it looked really hot.

He left the sharp scissors on the table and offered me a handful of kernels. I took a few pieces and popped them into my mouth gratefully; I'd forgotten to eat breakfast after everything that had happened with Bonnie earlier.

"You…you can sit, you know." He pointed to the sofa.

I frowned, to hide my smile.

"What?" His tone was kind, but curious. He munched a few pieces.

"It's just that it looks so…regal, you know? I feel like I should have to wear a crown of some sort to be allowed to sit there."

He laughed. "It is pretty intimidating, huh?" He plopped down on it gracelessly. "There, see? If you want, I could even dump some popcorn crumbs all over it."

I grinned and sat down next to him. "No, this is fine." I focused my attention on his ring.

He had long, slender fingers. They were reaching for more food. I took some more myself, and we finished the whole bag before either of us spoke. He ate more than I did, probably—hopefully—I didn't want to take his food. I was starving, though.

After I'd put my hunger at bay, I started my questioning.

"So, you were going to tell me about your ring?"

"Ah, yes." He settled back into the couch, preparing to tell his story. "This ring has been passed down in my family since the late 1800's. There was one other ;ike it, and Damon has it. It was truly just something a friend liked and gave to our ancestors, but legend would have you believe that it was enchanted by a witch."

I froze. "When did you say this was, again?"

"Probably late 1860's, early 70's."

I stifled a gasp. "Wow, that's a long time," I said to cover up the shock that must've been written all over my face.

"Yeah. See, there was this girl, Katherine, and she was deeply in love with my fourth-great grandfather. It was a type of promise ring that he gave to him; she had one as well, given to her by her friend, a witch named Emily."

I nodded mechanically.

"Katherine happened to love my grandfather's brother, as well, and she gave another ring to him."

My heart ached for the original Salvatore brothers. "That's awful."

Pain flickered across his face. "It was," he agreed fervently. "Anyway, Katherine told the Founding Families about Emily being a witch, and they burned her at the stake."

"Why would she do that?"

He shrugged. "Her self-preservation meant more to her than anything; she would've killed anyone to keep herself out of harm's way. I assume that had something to do with it, but you never really knew with her. She was a little unstable."

"Why did she need so much protecting," I pried.

His face hardened. "Back then, people believed in things that the human world no longer accepts. Myths and legends about vampires, werewolves, witches, dopplegangers, and all kinds of other crazy creatures. "

I bit my lip. "Was she one of those things?"

"Yes, she was. And, supposedly, the Founding Families were there to take out such demons. So, Katherine made a point to always be one step ahead of them-even if that meant sacrficing the ones she loved."

"That's awful." I fluttered my fingers. "Did Emily enchant this ring, too?"

Stefan frowned, grabbing my hand in shock. "Where did you get this?"

"Damon gave it to me. Said it was one of many pieces of jewlery that nobody wanted."

Stefan nodded slowly. "Well, he's right; there was never any story about that particular ring. It was made by Emily, but never enchanted."

I clenched my hands into fists. "So why does he want me to wear it, then?"

He gave me a half smile. "Damon can be very...possesive. My guess would be that it's his way of staking a claim on you."

I felt ashamed for dustrusting Damon's movtives, after that. Maybe I was the one going crazy. "Oh."

"Elena, where have you heard of tehse rings before?"

I glanced up, meeting his eyes. "I trust your brother, Stefan. I can't quite explain why, but I do. Can I trust you, too?"

"To a certain extent."

I took a deep breath. "My best friend is a decendant of Emily; she used to tell me stories just like that." I did my best to protect Bonnie by not mentioning her name. "Obviously, neither of us believe them, but I've taken an interest in this kind of history." I paused. "What happened to Katherine?"

"She died, quite tragically. My grandfather and fourth-great uncle tried to save her, and died as well. They were shot."

"That's awful." It had been years and years ago, but I felt the need to apologize for his loss. Instead, I decided I'd learned enough, and said, "Thank you for telling me all of this. It's really interested me."

"You're welcome….You don't have to go, Elena," he offered as I moved to get off the sofa.

"Actually, I do," I said apologetically. "I have to get some things from the store, and visit a friend. But thanks."

I got up a little too quickly, eager to get to Sheriff Forbes and talk to her about Damon. I caught my ankle on the leg of the side table, and just barely managed not to fall. I had to slam my hand on the table to hold myself up, and I accidentally cut the heel of my hand on the scissors. A few drops of blood slid down my wrist. I winced and quickly pressed my hand into the cut. "Well, that was smooth."

I turned in response to Stefan's silence. His back was turned to me, but I could see his face in the window.

His eyes were blood red, and hungry. The veins in his neck traveled all the way up his face, creating little cracks and lines underneath his eyes and down his strong cheekbones. His teeth were poking into his lips, pointed and sharp like fangs.

The image only lasted for a second, before the veins slowly erased and the fangs retreated. When he turned, his eyes had pooled back to their normal color. He hadn't known that I'd seen him.

And I needed to keep it that way.

Feigning normalcy, I asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any Band-Aids?"

After my cut was cleaned up, he walked me out the door. His face had stayed human the rest of my stay with him, but I still couldn't get the picture out of my mind. He'd been ready to kill me; I'd seen it in the thirst in his eyes.

Once off the Salvatore lawn, I felt like I was back in Mystic Falls, where there were no immortal, bloodthirsty creatures.

Just witches.

When I reached the woods, I risked a look behind at Stefan's shadowy figure. He was watching from the doorway, looking almost as though he were going to propel himself out and run to me.

I sped up, thinking only one word.

A word I'd heard Vikki whisper; a word that had been beating against my mind like a drum for nearly twenty four hours; a word that I, suddenly, could hardly bare to think without feeling frozen in fear.

_Vampire. _The Salvatores' were vampires.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 5, enjoy!(:**

Instead of being terrified of Damon and Stefan, I was furious with them. I couldn't believe Damon had listened to me tell him how much I trusted him, while he'd been sitting there holding onto this huge, horrible secret the whole time! He must've thought I was a complete fool.

Or maybe he thought I was a game to be played. Maybe he'd planned for me to feel that way about him; was it possible that it'd been a trap? Was his intent to lure me in, get me close, and then attack?

If it was, then it sure had worked. I had definitely been lured. Oh, God, we'd _kissed_. I'd had my mouth on lips that had, at some point, sucked blood from someone's neck.

But why? I couldn't imagine why he would ever go to all that trouble to play such a twisted game when it was so easy for him to just get it over with, to just snap my neck and then drink from it before the blood ran cold. He could've killed me so very easily at any point, but he hadn't. Could it have been because he wanted to drag it out? To make me fall for him and then rub it in my face when he finally decided he was ready to end my life?

Somehow, I couldn't picture Damon ever being so cruel. This was, after all, the same person who had enchanted me so many nights ago on Wickery Bridge, right in the middle of a boyfriend crisis; he was the same person who had looked at me in concern when Vikki and Jeremy were found half-dead; and he was the same person who had rushed to help both of them.

But then, he wasn't really a person at all. He was a monster, a gruesome character from a horror story. His kind killed for pleasure. So, it definitely could have been possible that he'd been playing me the whole time.  
Still, I wanted to believe that he at least deserved the benefit of the doubt, and so I anxiously dialed Caroline, and asked her for Damon's number. She read it off to me, and I thanked her before we hung up, because truthfully, without Carr's help this whole thing would've been a lot more complicated.

Damon's phone only rang twice before when answered. "Elena," he greeted, voice smug.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Lucky guess." There was a rumbling noise, like papers being shuffled or maybe a creaky chair moving under his weight as he shifted it. "Did you need something? A favor, maybe?" I could practically hear the winking going on at the other end of the line.

"Not the kind you're hoping for."

The humor seeped out of his voice. "You sound pissed, Elena."

"You sound worried."

"Yeah, well, Confuscius say: man who argue with wife all day, get no piece at night."

I rolled my eyes, in no mood for his jokes. "Can you be serious for just one second, Damon, please?"

"...One..."

I groaned. "Listen, I need you to meet me at Mystic Grill in ten, okay?"

"I'll be there in five."

He hung up and, with a heavy, steadying sigh, I began the walk to Mystic Falls' only decent cafe.

The air was bitter, and the fog wrapped around my ankles in thick, eerie swirls. I made a quick promise to myself that after this day, I would finally get back behind the wheel of a car.

After all, there were scarier things out there than driving. I could appreciate that now.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do when I saw Damon. I felt a little safer knowing we were in public, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't talk freely with so many witnesses hanging around.

I settled on the conclusion that I was doing this to grant myaelf some peace of mind. I needed to know what Damon's plans were, or what they had been. I needed to know if he'd been faking all his emotions around me, because one thing was for sure: vampire or not, our kiss had had been real, and full of sparks.

Damon beat me to the Grill. He was waiting for me at the bar when I got into the warm little shop. I saw him sitting in a stool, turning away from the counter so he could keep his eyes in the door. In his hand he held a small, faceted glass with a rich honey colored liquid sloshing inside it.

I met his deep blue eyes and instantly felt as breakable as the glass he was holding in-between his palm and long, pale fingers.

I stiffened and rolled my shoulders slightly. The room seemed to press in, the walls seed to fall closer to each other. The last thing I wanted was to be in a smaller space, but it was necessary; and so I signaled 'no' to him, at his current seat in the center of the room, and then tipped my head towards the back of the room to show where we should've been was a small, barely lit corner where a table meant for one was laid. It was dusty and blocked by several other empty booths.

Damon gave me a curious look, but stood and followed me compliantly, grabbing a chair and dragging it noisily on its back legs as he went. I gestured for him to sit down.

Placing my hands I the table and leaning forward, I met his eyes cooly. "You've been lying to me." I waited to see if he would deny it.

His beautiful eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"

I took a deep breath. My heart paced rapidly inside of me. "You're a vampire." I meant for the words to be strong, but they tunneled out in a fearful whisper. "Aren't you?"

For the briefest second, his eyes fluttered in defeat. His face was open and vulnerable for just a flash, and them he turned back to stone. Still, that was all I'd needed to know that my instincts had been dead on about him-he may not have been human, but he was still grasping onto his humanity.

"How...? Who told you this?"

I blinked. "It's true, then?"

He looked at the table, refusing to meet my intense gaze. He seemed almost ashamed.  
Before I could help myself, a tear rolled down my cheek. I hid my face quickly, grateful that he couldn't see my weakness.

"Elena..." His voice was as quiet as mine, and it sounded hopeless.

I couldn't look at him.

"Elena, I'm so sorry."

I swallowed. "Was it you? Who attacked my brother and nearly killed Vikki?" I finally looked up to find an expression filled with pure torture on his face. He looked like a man being burned alive, and it hurt me to see that face in so much pain, even if it was the face of a criminal, of a monster.

Besides the agony, there was something else there. Something...off. I wished I knew him better so that I could place the strange look. "I didn't know he was your brother," he said quietly.

The tears flowed more heavily. "Like it matters! He's human, Damon! Whether he's my brother or not, he's still human, and what you and your brother are doing is still terribly wrong!"

"Not wrong, Elena," he argued. "Immoral. But I'm not human, and I have no morals. Not anymore."

Disappointment folded in on me. "I-I have to go. This was a mistake."

"Elena-"  
I shoved out of my chair and turned away from him in one fluid motion. I tried to run out, but his hand clamped down on my wrist. I froze, went deadly still, and waited with my eyes squeezed shut in both terror and anticipation of what he was going to do to me.

He pulled me into him and spun me around slowly. I didn't even react, just let him move me. He held my face in his hand and caressed my cheek, my lips, with his thumb. Intensity and passion glared in his eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you, Elena." Very slowly, he leaned down and pressed the softest kiss to my unmoving lips. When he pulled away, his face was blank. "Go."

More tears slid down my face, and my voice cracked miserably. "Goodbye, Damon."


	6. Chapter 6

I ran from the café, with tears running down my cheeks.

Damon attacked my brother.

I didn't even want to believe it. I'd felt alive around him, for the first time in months, and all along, he'd been dead. How could it be?

I didn't know what to do, except stumble home and hide in the smallest corner I could find.

And that's exactly what I did. I sprinted all the way back to my house, which thankfully wasn't too far. Once home, I fumbled with my keys and launched myself up the stairs, shutting myself in my room.

Damon was a vampire. This was really happening.

I slid down my wall and leaned my head in the crook of my tight corner. My knees pulled up to my chest and my whole body shook with sobs.

My mind was on autopilot, racing at light speed.

The horror stories that founded this town were all true. Monsters really did hide under children's beds. Things that we told ourselves couldn't get us, we're very much real.  
And Damon was one of those horrible beings. Damon had nearly killed my _brother_, and he wouldn't have thought twice about it, had I not called him out. And Stefan, too, was a monster. Quiet, sweet, boyish Stefan. A _murderer_.

They were both murderers. Criminals. They should've been in jail-I needed to tell someone.

Unless...what if they thought I was crazy? Who was I going to tell? Who would believe me?

I realized with a squeeze of panic that no one would listen to me, even if I did try to tell. I was alone in this.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. No more crying-I needed to pull myself together and figure this out.

I remembered the To Do list I'd made this morning. I'd almost forgotten that I wanted to have a meeting with Sheriff Forbes. Was there any point to it now? I'd found out Damon's secret-and it was worse than I'd feared. She probably didn't know anything I didn't.

Unless she did. Had he told her anything? I couldn't imagine why he would tell a cop about being a murderer, unless maybe...

She was one of them.

No. No, it couldn't be. Of course not. After all, she had a daughter, and a job-a normal life. She _couldn't_ be a vampire. Caroline would know, and she would've told me about it.  
Right?  
Except, maybe that was how they kept their secrets. Maybe the humans didn't know because for whatever reason, Sheriff Forbes was protecting the vampires.

Thinking about it now, it seed pretty possible. But I had to know for sure. So, I collected myself up off the ground, and I wiped my wet cheeks. Then I grabbed my keys determinedly and headed for the station.

My hands shook as I drove down my street for the first time in months, but I knew at some point I'd have to get over my fear. I couldn't walk everywhere. Nevertheless, I was in a nervous sweat by the time I reached the station. I was also still unscathed, which was nice. I didn't hit any squirrels or birds or even the curb On my way. So far, everything was on track-driving wise. Everything else was falling apart.

I stepped out of my car and ran up the stairs and through the doors before I could stop myself.

Inside, everything was very orderly. The walls were painted a cold blue, the carpets matching. People in uniforms milled around their desks, and I could see Sheriff Forbes going through files in her office, a room enclosed in glass.

There was a receptionist fingering through tidy paperwork at her desk.

"I need to see Sheriff Forbes," I requested. When she looked as though she were going to turn me down, I added, "It's urgent."

The woman pursed her dark lips, wrinkling her deep brown skin. "I'll need to-"

"Elena!" I turned upon hearing my name being called. Today appeared to be my lucky day; the Sheriff had seen me, and she was now beckoning me over. "Is everything all right?"

I shook my head. "Is there somewhere we could talk privately?"

Her eyes went flat, and concern flashed across her features. "Right this way."

I followed her quietly to her office. She closed the door tightly behind us, and then pulled blinds down all around the window-walls to conceal us from any nosy onlookers.  
She took a seat at her desk and gestured toward a hard plastic chair. I sat down in it, and she leaned forward with her hands clasped tightly on the cluttered tabletop. "What brings you down here?"

"I-" I took a deep breath and hoped I wasn't making a huge mistake. "I know about the vampires."

Her eyes widened just long enough for me to grasp that she did in fact know about the creatures living amongst us.

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes seemed to be warning me.

"It wasn't an animal that attacked Vikki and Jeremy, it was a vampire. And I know you know that I'm not crazy."

She put her head in her hands. "Oh, Elena. How did you find this out?"

I almost told her about Damon, but something stopped me. I wasn't quite sure why I didn't give him up, but I lied straight to the Sheriff's face to protect him, as stupid as it was. "I just figured it out. There were bite marks in his neck, and he'd lost blood and..." I pause. "So I called a friend. And he told me that he knew about them too. About the vampires."

Her forehand creased. "Are you talking about Damon Salvatore?"

I nodded hesitantly. "He told me everything, but I had to ask first."

"I'm not surprised; Damon's wanted to tell you about what's been going on since he first met you. He was with me when Jeremy and Vikki were attacked; we were discussing you. He'd asked me if you were aware of the town's dangers. He looks out for you, Elena."

"Wait, are you sure he was here?"

She nodded. "I'm positive."

"Huh," I whispered and sat back. "You seem to really like him."

She nodded. "He's a wonderful help to me; it's nice to have help from the humans. He knows everything about everything, somehow."

I fought my gasp.

She thought he was human.

I blinked. "Sheriff, I...I came here to find out more about them. I was hoping you could help me."

She frowned. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"How about..." I sighed, thinking hard. Which question to ask first? They were all so pressing. "What about..mind control? Are they capable of that?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes. There is, however, an herb called vervain that will repel their tricks." She squinted at the ring Damon had given to me. I'd forgotten to take it off in all the craziness. "I do believe that you're wearing some right now."

"Sorry, what?"

"Your ring is stuffed with vervain, Elena...Who gave that to you?"

"Damon," I whispered, my heart fluttering chaotically.

Her eyebrows rose appreciatively. "I should've guessed, I suppose."

I held my fist tightly. "Is that all vervain does? Protect me from...what do you call it? Mind control?"

"Compulsion," she corrected. That made sense; I'd been right about that eye-thing the Salvatore brothers did; it actually _hypnotized_ people. "And no, that's not all. It also will burn them, if you touch it to their skin; and if they consume enough of it, it can poison and even incapacitate them."

That surprised me. Why would he give me something so powerful? It didn't add up.

"What else fends them off?"

"A crucifix should, but don't rely on one. It's easy for the vamps to disarm you, so my advice would be to try your best to avoid them." She paused. "They can't go out in the sunlight."

My eyes widened. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "That's how we knock quite a few suspects of our list."

I put my hand up. "Whoa, wait. List? Suspects? What are you talking about, Sheriff?"

She pursed her lips. "The original Founding Families were the first to know about Mystic Falls' vampire problem. They protected this town from some of the worst creatures when they locked them all in a tomb underneath the Fell Church in the late 1860's."

It seemed that everything that was important had taken place in that time period. "So they were vampire hunters? How else did they kill them?"

"Well, a stake to the heart would usually do the trick; or they would set them on fire. Of course, the Original vampires were much harder to kill."

"The Original vampires?" I prompted.

She nodded. "Yes, there were five of them. I don't know much about them. In fact, that's about a far as my knowledge of the vampires stretches."

I tried to conjure up a grateful smile, but my lips just barely twitched. "You've been very helpful, Sheriff. Thank you for your time." I got out of the creaky chair stiffly and rubbed my finger over by ring once more, making the connection.

The Salvatores' rings protected them from the sunlight.

"Yes, of course...and Elena?" She answered.

I turned. "Yes?"

"Be careful. It's a dangerous world, even more now for you and Jeremy, after his attack."

My tires screeched with my ridiculous speed as I pulled into the Salvatore driveway. I couldn't believe my courage; it was as if I had stopped driving. In fact, I was driving more recklessly now than ever. Not that that was necessarily a good thing; it was just an unexpected thing.

I pounded on the big, solid door until Stefan came and opened it.

"Elena," he said, surprised. His shirt was tattered, his hair disheveled. "I do believe we need to speak."

"Actually, I believe I need to speak to your brother," I bit with hostility. "Where is he?"

Stefan seemed to want to say more, but was unable to form his thoughts into an adequate sentence, and so instead he stepped aside and let me in. "He's upstairs."

I pushed past him, muttering a begrudged 'thank you' on my way. "Damon!" I called as I jogged up the stairs, nearly knocking a gold-framed picture off the wall in my haste.

I walked into the first door I came to. Inside, there was lots of clutter, and a slept-in, white-clothed bed. The pillows were limp, and there was a picture that had fallen over on the bedside table. As I looked around the room more closely, I noted that the small picture wasn't the only thing to have been trampled. An entire dresser, made of the beautiful dark wood that flowed throughout the rest of the house, was tipped over on its side. A bottle was shattered on the floor in a glassy puddle beneath the opened window. What was spilled looked like what Damon had been drinking at the café earlier. I stepped carefully around the floor. Clothes had been ripped out of the closet, and they were now strewn about the floor, as were a few classy pairs of shoes. A single wooden stake laid in the mess as well.

I panicked a bit. Had Damon staked himself? I thought back to Stefan's ripped up shirt.

Oh. Had Stefan staked him?

I was on the verge of crumpling to the ground in tears when, out of nowhere, Damon landed in the glass. His body shot right through the window, and there he stood in all his inhuman beauty.

The sides and nearly the entire torso of his shirt had been torn out. Pale, muscled strips of his skin showed through the once white fabric. His deep black hair was tousled in a somehow attractive, bedraggled look. I wanted to run my fingers through it, and fix it for him.

He stared at me with desperate, hungry eyes-and not blood-thirsty hungry.  
In a matter of mere seconds, I was pulled against that bearly bare chest, and his mouth was on mine.

It suddenly didn't matter to me what he was, or what he'd done. The Damon I knew was not a monster, and as his teeth tugged gently on my bottom lip, I found myself unable to understand why I'd ever doubted him.

He spun us implausibly fast, and crushed me softly against the wall. His hand cradled my head, tangling in my hair, caressing my temple with his thumb. His head bent as his lips moved to my neck, and I leaned into him.

My arms held him to me. I felt safe here, with him. That ring he gave me was made to defend me against his kind; _everything_ he'd done had been to keep me out of harm's way. Even lying to me about Jeremy was to save me. He'd tried to keep himself out of my life, tree to make it easy for me to hate him. And it had worked; I would've been completely out of this world full of these dangerous creatures. My life would've moved on, and eventually, Damon would've been nothing but a haunting memory.

I realized that in choosing Damon, I was choosing this life as well. It could put me, my friends and my family in jeopardy, and at some point, I was going to have to decide whether he was worth it. I knew that that choice would probably be procrastinated until something truly terrible happened to Jer or Bonnie or I, and then I would have to change something.

But right now, I had this moment with Damon. His kisses trailed over my shoulder, back up my neck, and then met my lips again.

I smiled against his mouth jut as we both began to pull away. His hands rented on my hips. I pushed a few piers of hair off my face, and then mussed with his. He let me, a smile sparkling in his eyes as he looked down at me.

"What changed your mind, Elena?" He traced his finger lightly down from the sensitive skin in between my eyes, to the tip of my nose.

I shrugged lightly. "You were lying to me."

"Well, yeah, we established that. I didn't expect that to...please you."

I met his eyes. "You didn't attack those kids. You were with the Sheriff."

"And you weren't supposed to find that out."

"I'm glad I did."

He snorted. "Mm, me too."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. Sorry you didn't get an A/N last time, I was kind of excited to write the chapter. Did you guys like it? *cough, reviews, cough***

Damon gave me a smirk and tipped his head to the side, towards his wrinkled bed. "We should talk."

"Yeah." I sat down on the edge of his bed. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Do you always start your questions with kisses? Because I could get used to that."

I smiled and looked down. "Why didn't you tell me that it wasn't you who attacked Jer and Vikki?"

He sighed and flopped onto his back. "Because, Elena, you're so much better off without me. I wanted you to be angry with me, to hate me. I wanted you to let me go, and live your own life." His eyes darkened a shade or two. "I may be innocent in this particular crime, but I've done things to other people that were far, far worse than what was done to your brother and his friend."

I didn't like this conversation, but I knew we had to have it. I went on uncomfortably, "So...you've killed people?"

"I've tortured them. And it's been for fun, Elena."

"Fun! How can you say that?"

"Because, Elena, I don't feel bad. It's a switch in my head, and I can turn my guilt on or off. I don't have to feel pain or remorse." His eyes were pleading; he wanted me to understand.

I blinked. "...Oh. Do you...is it on or off right now?"

"It's been on since the first time I saw you. You-changed me."

I considered that. "When was the last time you...killed someone?" Oh, God, what was I even asking him?

He frowned. "Why does it matter?"

"I...don't know."

He sighed. "Listen, Elena. I don't kill anymore. Not for a few years. I drink from blood bags, or sometimes from the vein-but I don't drink enough to hurt people, and afterwards, I make them forget. I'm no Stefan, though. I don't just feed from animals. I don't have a hundred clean years under my belt. But I do...really want to make you happy. It's your choice whether or not you can live with that."

I turned to look at him. One strong arm was thrown behind his head, and he looked at me with wide, hopeful eyes. His lips were set in a faint, irresistible pout.

Slowly, I smiled at him. "I think I can."

He broke into a grin and in a flash, wrestled me on top of him. My hands were pinned to his chest, and my long hair hung over his shoulder. "Good, that was easy. I thought it was going to take some...convincing." He winked.

I laughed, but rolled off of him. I had more questions for him, and I couldn't let him distract me. "But, if it wasn't you who attacked Jeremy, and you said Stefan hadn't killed in at least a hundred years...who was it?"

His eyes hardened. "That's exactly what I've been wondering."

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "So, you don't have any idea as to who it could've been?"

His lips pressed together. "Well...Stefan told me that you know about Katherine. She was a vampire, I think he told you that. When she died, Stefan and I had-"

"Wait, who?" I stopped him. "Stefan told me it was your grandparents..."

He made a sound that was almost a laugh. "Who do you really think it was?"

"I guess...you." It sounded so weird to me, to think that in 1860, Stefan and Damon had been very much alive.

"Anyway, Stefan and I had made sure she would live by getting Emily Bennett to lock her in an enchanted tomb underneath Fell Church."

"Emily Bennett...did she enchant your ring? And Stefan's? Is that how you both walk in the sunlight."

He nodded appreciatively. "That was a good catch. However, those rings are just about the most well kept secret amongst vampires. Very few are in possession of them, and it's important that you keep the information about them to yourself."

"How few is the number of vampires that have them?"

"I don't know of anyone besides Stefan, Katherine and I even having any idea that the rings exist."

"Wow," I sighed. "That few."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Back to Katherine. I became obsessed with getting her out of that tomb. I found out that it was spelled, and it could only be broken using a very important stone, and with the help of a very powerful witch. Your friend Bonnie would've had to be the one to get her out."

"Why are you telling me this? Not that I'm complaining, but it seems like if you wanted to get her out that badly, you wouldn't be sharing all this with me."

"I'm telling you because I know for a fact that she's not in the tomb."

"How would you know that?" I asked. "And how did you know about Bonnie?"

"I know Katherine's not in the tomb because I tried to kill her a few weeks ago, and I know about Bonnie because I did my research."

"Wait, why did you try to kill her? I thought you were in love with her?"

"So did I, but things change." His voice was bitter.

"So, what, you tried to kill her because she doesn't love you anymore? Or because you don't love her anymore?"

"No, I tried to kill her because she pissed me off."

I flipped onto my side to stare at him. "What did she do?"

"She threatened you."

"_Me_?" I exclaimed. "Why?"

His smooth shoulders shrugged. "She wants something from me."

"Well, what does she want?"

"You ask too many questions."

"Are you going to answer me?"

"Nope."

I sighed and sat up. "Fine, but...are you saying that Katherine attacked Jeremy?"

He jumped up next to me. "I'm _assuming_ that Katherine attacked Jeremy."

"Now what?"

"Now we find out for sure."

**Sorry this was kind of a filler chapter. More to come. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter will be less boring. I promise.  
Love you guys :)**

**P.S., Thanks for the reviews! You're the BEST!**

"How are we going to find out who attacked them for sure?" I asked as Damon got to his feet and rustled through his cluttered dresser for a shirt, throwing his ruined one to the ground.

"_We_ aren't. I will. _Me_. Singular."

He found a long sleeved black shirt and yanked it out if the drawer. I watched the fabric stretch over his muscled, creamy skin as he pulled it over his head in one smooth motion. "What do you mean?" I objected fiercely. "He's my brother! I-!"

He was in front of me before I could get the rest if my sentence out, his hands grasping the sides of my face. "I mean _no_. As in you're not going. End of story."

"Oh no, it is not the end of this conversation-"

He cut me off again as his hands slid to rest on my shoulders. "It could be the end of _you_, Elena, if you're caught by Katherine, and I won't allow that. Now, stop arguing with me, you're killing the mood."

I crossed my arms over my chest indignantly. "What mood?"

"My mood-my good mood." His pleading eyes widened a bit.

I sighed, defeated. "Fine, then we can talk about this later."

His jaw popped stiffly. "Elena. Over my dead body would you be allowed to come hunt down some of history's most dangerous vampires with me. And I'm already dead, so." His hands dropped to my hips. "Now come on."

I frowned, relenting. "Come where?"

He rolled his eyes. "With me."

He backed away and held out his hand. I eyed him, never breaking eye contact as I gingerly slid my hand into his waiting one. Trusting him yet again.

Damon drove us far away. It took a few hours to get to wherever we were going, and I fell asleep about halfway there. The exhaustion of taking in all of Damon's horrifying secrets caught up to me, and I went out like a light.

Damon woke me when we arrived. His lips were at my ear. "We're burning daylight, Elena-pun intended. Time to get up."

I blinked awake and yawned. "I'm... oh...sorry..."

His lips curved up. "I can only imagine what you were dreaming about."

I blushed, because I had in fact dreamt about him. I tried not to meet his eyes as I stepped out of the car next to him. "So, you're not going to murder me now that you've got me all alone, are you?"

He raise one eyebrow cheekily. "Do you honestly think that's the first thing I'd want to do to you once I got you alone somewhere?"

I laughed and eased into him. "So...where are we?"

"We are in the absolute middle of nowhere. Look around."

I did. And he was right; there was nothing but sky, and endless plains of grass and wildflowers. Our car was parked at the top of a hill. Beneath us, cows were grazing in a meadow. I watch a bunny scamper by.

"Stefan comes here to hunt sometimes. I like it; it's quiet, and there're no people. When I need to figure something out, I come here."

"So, what, you're taking me here to brainstorm?"

He laughed and suddenly tackled me to the ground playfully. "_No_, I brought you here because...i guess because I like this place, and I like you. Seemed right."

And it did seem right here. He moved off of me carefully, so that I could view the clouds above us. Sunlight glinted down over our side-by-side bodies.

"It's so pretty out here," I remarked.

He shrugged. "Sure. I always liked it best in the forest in Mystic Falls, though." His breathing was slow, soothing. "That day I ran into you there, I was saying goodbye to it."

"What," I demanded, sitting upright. "Why?"

He too moved into a sitting position. He planted his feet into the ground, and pulled his arms around his comfortably spread-apart knees. "I was on my way out of town," he explained emotionlessly. "I liked you to much; I knew I had to get out. If you hadn't stopped me, I would've been long gone by now."

I paused and let that sink through my head slowly. I was perturbed at the thought that I'd come _that_ close to losing him. "Do you regret saying?"

He snorted and leaned down to kiss my lips roughly. "Do I look like a person wallowing in regret to you?"

I couldn't fight the shiver of happiness. "I'm glad you stayed."

Pain seemed to reflect in his eyes for a second.

"What?" I asked.

"What, what?"

"You made a face."

"My bad."

I let it go, and smiled up at him. Relaxing myself, I sank onto my back again. "You know, it's a good thing I needed a ride that morning. Otherwise we wouldn't be here right now. I probably would've forgotten about you."

"I don't think it necessarily would have been a _bad_ thing for you if you'd forgotten me. Hell, you would be a lot safer if you'd just forgotten all about me." He sighed, then continued, "But I'm glad you didn't. I'm selfish with you. I try not to be, but I'm not a martyr. I couldn't have stayed away from you; I wanted you too much. In all honesty, it wouldn't have mattered if you'd driven yourself to school that day. I'd been keeping tabs on you; I would've made sure that we ran into each other somehow."

I blinked. "So you...you've been following me?"

"It's a bit worse than that. Remember the night you thought you took your ring off?"

I already knew what he was going to say, but I wanted to hear it from him, so I played along. "Yeah?"

"I was in your room that night. It's not a rare occurrence. I put it back on. Like I said, you shouldn't take it off."

"What do you mean, it's not a rare occurrence?" I gasped.

He cringed and flopped down next to me, his fingers playing in my hair. I watched the sun dance on his skin, on his wicked smirk. "You leave your window open. Not that it would really deter me if it was closed."

I frowned in wonder. "So...you what? Come in and watch me sleep?"

He laughed. "Not quite. You read too much. No, I just check on you, you know? Plus, you wear these short shorts when you sleep..."

I swatted at his leg, and he threw his head back as his laughter grew louder. "Damon!"

We spent the whole day there, just bantering playfully, and telling stories. He told me more about his transformation. I learned a lot about how you became one of the undead. Apparently, you had to die with vampire blood in your system, and then choose to either die or feed on human blood to complete your transformation. Damon had planned on dying, as had Stefan, but something went wrong and, well...now here they were.

Stefan and Damon obviously had deep-rooted issues. Damon seemed to stiffen when he spoke of his brother, as though their relationship was hanging by a thin thread over a high cliff. I knew better though; I knew that those two were inseparable by the begrudged love that accompanied the stiffness in Damon when Stefan was brought up. When your brother is all you have for the test of eternity, you don't take him for granted.

When the sky became littered with stars, Damon and I finally made out way back to the car. This time when I fell asleep, it was on his shoulder.

I dreamt of his laugh, and of his beautiful eyes, and his suggestive smile. In that dream and in my sub-conscience, I knew it as well as he did; I was falling in love with him-quickly, and recklessly.

My awakening this time, though, wasn't as sweet as the first. Tires squeezed and the car lurched. I screamed as the car swerved to miss what looked like a person.

"Elena-" Damon was interrupted by the door being ripped off the car on my side. Faster than I could ever hope to comprehend, Damon was reached over, clutching me to him protectively.

"Katherine..." He warned.

Surprised to hear the name, I whipped around to lock eyes with the vampire responsible for my brother being locked in the hospital...

And I gasped.

Because they were my eyes.

I was staring at a hauntingly perfect replica of me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Holy...Soo many reviews! I love it! They made my life. Seriously. You all rock.**  
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"Damon!" I unbuckled my seatbelt swiftly and backed away from my terrifying clone. His arms wrapped around my torso and in a nanosecond, I was pulled onto his lap. His body was still...he was scared.

I shrunk into him reflexively. If she scared Damon, I was probably screwed.

My life was in her hands.

...Her hands, which looked exactly like mine. I looked her over again, to be sure I hadn't been imagining things the first time I caught a glimpse. I'd been right, though; she was a precise copy of me, from my wide eyes to my small nose, and from my height to my weight. Our only differences were our hair-hers worn in a mane of curls, mine stick straight-and the way her eyes reddened and her skin cracked.

Her face was still changing, though, aside from the eyes and tiny shatters under them. I watched her in horror. Pointed fangs sprouted from her mouth as she leaned farther into the car. Her lips pulled back as she hissed my name.

"Elena." Her head cocked to the side. "You're in great danger...but you may just be the answer to my problems."

Then she grabbed me. I screamed as she and Damon engaged in a game of tug-a-war over my frail human body. Damon held onto me tightly, but I could feel him slipping the more I whimpered. While Katherine didn't seem to care about ripping my limbs off, the idea actually concerned Damon. Finally, at that crazy fast pace of his, he let me go and was in Katherine's face all in the same second. He made a move to fight me away from her, but by the time he lunged at us, it was too late. She took off with me in her arms, kicking and screaming in a pointless protest.

The world rushed by me in strange colors. She flew faster than any race car, faster than even Damon. For awhile I could hear him chasing us, but eventually she lost him. Branches whipped at my face painfully as she dragged me soundlessly through a forest. I had a bad feeling that we weren't in the forest near the cemetery in Mystic Falls, that that was already miles behind us. I felt dizzy as she continued without stopping, jumping hundreds of feet into the air to avoid boulders and even some trees. At some point, I cracked my head on a trunk or maybe a rock. My vision blurred. I tried to hang on and stay awake, but something red and warm was spilling down my back, and I heard Katherine snarl, and then the last thing I felt before I went unconscious was my flesh being ripped at.

I woke up somewhere unfamiliar, with an ache in my head an a burning in my shoulder. Groaning, I rolled over on the concrete I'd apparently slept on. I tried to stand, but realized in dismay that I was chained to the hard floor.  
Wherever I was was concealed in blackness, and there wasn't a single window. I peered through the dark, able to just barely identify a heavy wooden door about twenty feet away. I could see far enough to know how high the ceiling reached, or how big the room was.

I pulled on the chains uselessly. The pain in my arm swelled, and I cut out the yanking immediately.

Feeling sweat gather on my forehead, I took in a deep breath and tried to relax. My eyes wandered over my arm, straining to make out a cut or bruise. It was too dark for me to see, but I didn't stop trying; I squinted my eyes and tilted my head closer. The dried smell of blood slowly entered my nostrils.

The door flew open suddenly, and I jumped back. The cuffs jerked into my wrists, and I felt them cut into my skin. I cried out as light flooded through the doorway.

My eyes adjusted and I looked back to my throbbing arm. Deep bite marks littered my skin, sure to leave scars. I choked on my fear as I lifted my eyes up to see a man walking towards me. His steps echoed loudly, and I wished I could scoot farther away from him.

Adrenaline kicked in, and I yanked on the chains with all my might, ignoring the stinging pain. When it was out of my system, I slumped over, having made no progress, and waited for the man to reach me.

When he did, he crouched in front of me so that we were far to face. His hair was a golden color, his lips dark peach and spread into a smirk. He raised his eyebrows as he looked me over. "I see you've awakened."

I gulped, scrambling yet again to find room to back up. His cold fingers traced down my cheek once gently, and then he used his nails to scratch down on the same spot. Blood dripped into his hand, and I felt queasy as I watched him lick it off.

"Mm." His accent was British, whispery and low, and yet he was somehow intimidating. "Tell me, Elena, what do you know about why you're here?"

I found my voice. "Nothing," I whispered.

He sat back on his feet, making himself comfortable. "You're not really in the loop then, are you?"

I waited for him to clue me in.

"Well, I suppose since you will be dead in a matter of days anyway, there's no harm in telling you."

I refused to cry in front of this monster. "Telling me what?" I demanded thickly.

"I'll bet you don't even know who I am." When I didn't answer, his smirk grew naughty and fangs poked out of it. His eyes turned a sickly yellow color, and his fingers sprouted claws. I winced as he waved them in front of my face.

"I'm a hybrid," he said smoothly. "Half werewolf, half vampire. And you, my dear one, are the key to creating my family."

**I'm sorry, I know this chapter was short. I just kind of felt like this was where it needed to end. I'll update soon, I promise. Xoxo.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I HAVE MY LAPTOP BACK. God, I'm so happy it's fixed. The hard drive blew and I had to get it taken care of…it was a huge mess. I'd been updating from my iPod so the chapters were shorter and all…but it should get better. I heart you all! (: **

**Oh, and Happy Holidays!**

"What are you _talking_ about?" I insisted.

His eyes narrowed. "Let me finish, child."

I quieted, focusing on him respectfully. The way he spoke to me made me feel small, inferior.

"Much better. Now, then.

"There's a curse that's been placed on me, on my hybrid gene. If I were to try to make another of me, the vampire blood would kill the wolf. Thus, I could never produce more hybrids. I don't like to be alone, and if I could break the curse, I could create a family."

"A hybrid family," I repeated incredulously.

"Precisely," he agreed. "In order to break the curse, I need a vampire, a werewolf, and...you."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you, Elena, are a doppelganger."

I shook my head. The word was unfamiliar. "A doppelganger?"

"Yes, a sort of spitting image of one's ancestor; except for the doppelganger is an exact replica of the person."

Her hands...my hands. Her face...my face."But I'm not related to Katherine!" I objected. "I'm a Gilbert, she's a…" I was at a loss. I'd never asked what Katherine's last name was. It hadn't exactly been important.

"On the contrary; you are most definitely related to Katherine. You are not a Gilbert. You are a Petrova doppelganger; a Pierce."

I hardly let the words touch my ears. "No. No! That's impossible. I'm a Gilbert; you can check the gravestones with my parent's names engraved on them!"

"You're wrong. Whoever those humans were who raised you were not your biological parents. You were adopted."

"No…" I whispered. "That can't be!"

"Oh, but it can. Come on, Elena." His eyes willed me to believe him. "Consider it; is it really that far-fetched an idea?"

I exploded. "Yes! Yes, it is! You're lying to me!"

"I'm not lying" he shouted, and I curled my head to my knees—awkwardly, what with the chains—to shield myself from his anger. "I can prove it," he hissed, his mood having snapped back to normal very suddenly. He dug out a small cell phone from his pocket and typed numbers into it viciously.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm giving your Aunt Jenna a ring."

I felt my heart stop. My body went cold. "How do you have that number?"

He gave me a look. "Do I not strike you as one to do my investigations with the upmost thoroughness?"

My glare didn't leave his eyes. "I swear to you, if you hurt her, I will kill myself before you can use me to break your curse."

The phone was suddenly hurled across the room, and he shoved me against the wall, yanking the chains out with me. I screamed as I felt my wrists snap from the impact. "You would be wise not to threaten me," he breathed ominously. My body was pinned to that wall. My head pounded. He let go of me and I slid down to the ground, whimpering. Pain attacked my whole body, unleashing the worst of its wrath onto my wrists and temples.

The phone began to ring. I was surprised it hadn't broken. I watched carefully as he turned his back on me to retrieve it. Utilizing my one opportunity so far, I gathered myself up swiftly, twisting the chains around my hand several times. I could use it to make my punch heavier, like brass knuckles…except these were steel.

I heard my aunt's frantic voice over the phone. "Elena? Is this you? Elena, where are you? You've been gone all day. I'm worried! Talk to me."

Wordlessly, the man handed me the phone. I stared at him cautiously as I accepted it with the hand that wasn't decked in chains. "Aunt Jenna?" I croaked. I thought about asking for help. The idea must've been written all over my face, because he grunted and cut a thumb across his neck in the universal slit-throat gesture. I took a deep breath as all hope flooded out of me, and tried to speak. "Aunt Jenna, it's me. Listen, I'm okay. I'm with Damon. I'm sorry I haven't called, I—"

"Damon was just here to tell me he couldn't find you and that I should contact the sheriff, Elena! _Now_ _what the hell is going on?_"

"I…" I tried not to cry. "Am I adopted, Jenna?"

She was silent for a moment. Then, "Is that what all this is about?"

The tears sparkled in my eyes, and then began streaming down my face. "You tell me."

She sighed heavily. "Elena, I'd much rather have this conversation in person. If you could just—"

My heart squeezed. This was my goodbye to her, and I had to pretend to be mad. "How could you? How could you not tell me?"

She couldn't fumble through a full sentence.

I plowed right on, delivering another punch to her. "I'm not coming home, Jenna! I just...can't. Tell Damon…everything's fine. Tell him don't worry about me." I hoped he would understand what that meant: _move on_.

"Elena, this is ridiculous!"

I turned the phone off quickly. "I love you," I whispered. I sobbed for just a few moments, letting myself come to terms with what was to happen.

He needed a doppelganger, a vampire, and a werewolf. I was a doppelganger; he needed me. That meant that I couldn't leave until he didn't need me anymore, and I had this horrible feeling that by the time he was done with me, I'd be dead.

I hoped Damon would get my message. I hoped he wouldn't blame himself forever. It was so unfair that I was to die without ever getting to really now if I was in love with him, before ever getting to tell him.

I wasn't ready to die. I hadn't been ready to die six months ago, and I wasn't ready now. One thing had changed though, between death and me, and that was that I no longer feared it.

So, I was able to scrape myself up and hold myself together long enough to confirm with him. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

He nodded simply. "Yes. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

I shuddered. "Can you at least tell me where I am?"

His eyebrows crinkled together. "Hmm. I suppose you have a right to know. We're in Georgia; but not for long. Tomorrow we go back to Mystic Falls, so that the sacrifice can take place."

Sacrifice? I died a little inside. "Okay, listen, uh…what was your name?"

"Klaus."

"Klaus. I will cooperate willingly, no fighting involved, no runaway attempts, so long as you swear to me that you won't touch Jenna…or Jeremy."

"Well, it's a bit late for Jeremy, but I can promise not to hospitalize Jenna alongside him, if that would make you happy. I'm not doing it because I fear you will complicate things, though, Elena. I will spare them because they are innocent…as are you. You are involved by nothing more than bad luck. Your family will not pay for that. You have my word."

"But how much does your word truly mean?" I questioned boldly. "I'm sure you have killed plenty of innocents without a second glance in your time."

"That is true," he consented. "But, unfortunately for you, my word is all you have to hold onto. You never will know whether I keep my promise, but maybe you can die more peacefully knowing that I have sworn not to touch them. Maybe it will help."

"What would be helpful," I growled, "is for you to let me out of this damn sacrifice. God, why can't you just use Katherine?"

"Because she's a vampire," he explained. "She did have doppelganger blood…until she was turned. Now she's useless to me."

"Useless? Why not use her as your vampire in the sacrifice?"

"I gave her my word."

It clicked; I was the _"answer to her problems"_.

He was going to fulfill his end of the bargain, as she had delivered me the way he'd asked.

I could trust him with Jer and Jenna.

I could die peacefully.

"Ah, so you see. I do tell the truth every now and then." His smile was strangely cordial. I bit down on my lip and faced him with wide eyes.

"Please, Klaus. I don't want to die."

His expression saddened, and again, he traced my cheek lightly. "But you must." Then, he left me.

I spent the night on that floor. He brought me one meal, which I ate like I'd never been fed before. It was soup—lacking slat—and dry, crumbly bread. Still, I practically inhaled it, and when it was gone, I could've cried for the loss.

I wondered if Damon had any idea where I was; if he was looking for me. I wanted to believe that maybe he would show up at just the right moment and save me, but I knew that kind of stuff only happened in movies. There really wasn't any hope for me.

But there was hope for Jer and Jenna. They could live their lives together. My heart ached when I thought of how alone Jeremy would feel: I was the only immediate family he had left. I wondered if Jenna would tell him I was adopted. I wished she wouldn't. I never wanted him to think of me as anything but his sister, never wanted my name or memory to have any connotation with anything sad or heartbreaking when he thought of me. Once he had time to heal from losing me, I wanted him to be able to think of me fondly and happily…not of the poor girl who never knew her real parents, who was sacrificed for some stupid hybrid curse. I hoped he never found out about Stefan and Damon.

I tried to remember where Klaus had said he was taking me. Somewhere back in Mystic Falls…my guess was Fell's church, since that was where everything spooky seemed to be. But I could've been wrong. Maybe he just needed a really big field…or something.

I dozed to sleep after a few wet, sloppy hours of mourning my own death. The floor hurt my neck, and my dreams were all blurry and dark. I longed to be home with Jeremy and Damon. I tried not to get my hopes up that maybe Damon would find me, because I didn't want my last few moments alive to be filled with despair. I wanted to go peacefully, into the waiting arms of my parents.

It was either the middle of the night or the first few hours of the morning when I was awakened. Sometime in my restless sleep, Klaus had dragged me out of the room and into…the back of a truck, it seemed, or maybe the trunk of a car. I tried to move but found I was bound by rope, and that my mouth was sealed with tape. My breathing picked up. Somehow, even after all my preparation, I was still surprised that Damon hadn't come for me.

I was afraid to cry and stuff up my nose, because then how would I breathe? So instead of thinking about what was to come, I focused on my happiest memories. Most of them starred my family or Damon. If I wasn't gagged, I might've smiled at the memory of our first kiss, our first dance.

I was cramped in that trunk for at least an hour. We hit multiple bumps in the road we traveled, giving me more than a few bruises, the worst drawing blood on my scalp. When the car pulled to a stop—the first of the entire drive, not having slowed for any stop signs or lights—the trunk was cracked and gray light filtered in. I blinked, not used to the brightness, and shied away from Klaus's waiting hands.

He grabbed me from the car quickly, and ripped the Duct tape from my mouth. I let out a small shriek.

"Sorry about that, love," he mumbled as he caged me under his arm and took off with me. He was more careful than Katherine had been, avoiding trees and rocks this time. When we stopped, blood was rushing in my head. He set me down on the cold ground.

"Your pest of a boyfriend was hanging around our hideout. I don't know how he tracked you down, but he almost got you. We had to make a run for it…but he's taken care of now. We will have no more complications."

_He's taken care of now._ Sobs choked in my throat. He cut my hands loose so that I could cover my face as I cried. What did that mean? Had they _killed_ Damon?

I didn't know what it meant for him, but I knew exactly what it meant for me.

"Your tears confound me, Elena…is this not what you wished for?"

I sniffled at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me that you wanted this to go smoothly—no complications. You promised me you wouldn't fight me, in return for the safety of your family."

"I thought you were going to grant them safety regardless," I whispered, only affected a small bit by his words.

He shrugged. "I still don't see why you're so upset. You never said anything about Damon when you bargained for Jeremy and Jenna's safety."

It took a minute to speak. "Never this…I I could never be okay with _this_. Klaus, please, I—I think I love him."

"That does not concern me," he said soullessly, without a touch of sympathy or regret. "No one will stand in my when it comes to this Elena, no one. Besides, nothing you do can save your precious Damon. Not now."

"What? Why?" I tried to get to my feet, to protest.

He moved with me, careful not to let me past him. "Because he is the vampire who I will sacrifice to complete the ritual."


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys, your reviews make my freaking day. I LOVE YOU. **

**Enjoy.**

Damon? _Damon?_ _He _was the vampire sacrifice? Out of all the vampires on Earth, Klaus _had_ to pick _Damon_.

There was no sense pleading with him. I tried to get Klaus to use anyone, _anyone_ else besides Damon, from the time he broke the news till the time Katherine delivered Damon to us. We were in the middle of a huge clearing. Trees surrounded the edges of the field, which was at least the size of a football stadium. The skies were gray.

"Elena." Damon's form blurred, and then he was right in front of me. He yanked me into his arms, cradling my head in his hand. He whispered softly to me as I cried on his shoulder. Klaus said nothing throughout our exchange.

Damon held me for a few quiet moments, and then he shifted, and I heard a tearing sound. Confused, I lifted my head from his chest to see what was going on. He'd sunken his teeth into his wrist, blood dripping from the wound.

His eyes filled with intensity as he stared at me. "I need you to drink this."

"To…what?"

He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he let it out through his nose. "I need you to feed from me."

"No!" I recalled the story he'd told me about how you get turned into a vampire. "If I drink your blood and then die before it's out of my system…"

He folded his hands over mine. "I know. But I need you to survive this. I want you to drink, and after this over, I want you to go find Stefan. He can help you." He brushed my cheek gently with his. "I love you, Elena. I need you to live."

I allowed myself a brief minute to do an internal happy dance. "I love you, too. But I won't drink from you."

"One of us should survive this," he countered.

"Then let it be you."

He shook his head. "How? There's no way. Listen, Elena, I've already lived—for more than a hundred years. You've barely even begun your life. Take the out. Please? For me." He squeezed my shoulder. "Please, it's my last wish."

I groaned. "Don't play that card, Damon."

He kissed me mouth roughly. "Please," he begged.

I shook my head. "Damon, I—" he placed his wrist over my mouth quickly, cutting me off. I was spun around so that my back was up against his hard stomach, and his arm was over my neck. He kept his wrist placed firmly over my mouth. I squirmed and batted his arm, but he didn't budge. Klaus looked on in what almost seemed like pity.

Drops of bloodtrickled into my mouth, even as I tried to seal my lips. It was sweet and salty, but most disturbing of all was that it tasted _good_.

"Please," he breathed into my ear, kissing my hair.

I drew in a deep breath, and then squeezed my eyes shut and took a long gulp.

Jeremy wouldn't be alone after all.

Hours passed until day turned to night. I sat cuddled up to Damon the entire time, sometimes speaking, sometimes crying, and sometimes just kissing him. Eventually, we were comfortable enough to speak as though no one was listening. He told me stories about his human life, and in return, I shared my own memories with him. He never let go of me, not once. That was good, because he kept me from crumbling.

Often, I thought maybe Damon was going to try to make a break for it, but when I asked why he didn't in a whisper, he told me that a bite from a hybrid would kill a vampire in seconds.

"No point, we'd both face the same end either way—he'd just kill me and then replace me with another vampire for the sacrifice."

"Why doesn't he just replace you now?"

"Because, I'm at threat. If he keeps me here, he can keep an eye on me," he explained.

"Oh…so why doesn't he just replace _me_?" I returned.

He touched my nose with his finger. "Because, you're irreplaceable."

I rolled my eyes but snuggled closer to him. "Damon."

"Hmm?" he rested his chin on my head.

"I don't want to live forever without you."

He was quiet for a few minutes. When he didn't answer, I figured he probably didn't know what to say. But then, after a long time, he shocked me by speaking. "I've lived more than a century without you. If you'd have told me years ago that I'd be in love with a human, I would've…eaten you. If you'd tried to tell me I'd completely turn my life around for a human, to go as far as stop killing people just to make one girl happy…well, I would've ripped out your tongue. But now…I can't imagine not dying for you, right here, tonight. My life will have meant something, will have counted now. Without you, Elena, I would've lived endlessly with no reason for it. That would've been worse than dying tonight for you."

A tear slid down my cheek. "I don't want you to die."

"Trust me," he snorted, "It wasn't on my To Do List either. But, life goes on, Elena, even after we lose the ones we think we can't live without. I know that now."

I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

He stretched a bit, shifting positions beneath me. "Well, when Katherine was locked up, I became obsessed with getting her out. She was all I wanted for the longest time. I've learned now though that people change—priorities change."

"Are you trying to tell me to move on?"

"Isn't that what you tried to tell me earlier?"

That shut me up for a solid twenty seconds. Then, "I never wanted you to die for me, Damon. I never wanted you to get involved in this."

"I was already involved, Elena! It's _you_. What did you think? That I could just forget?"

"Well, yes!" I exclaimed. "Isn't that what you're asking me to do now?"

He didn't have an answer to that, and I relented. "I—I'm sorry, I don't want to fight."

"Who's fighting?"

I sighed.

"Oh, come on, Elena. You're going to be okay. You haven't really even known me that long."

I grumbled. "We're sadder than _Rome and Juliet_."

"But not as pathetic."

I actually laughed at that. The moment, however, was stolen as I caught sight of a shadowy figure breaking through the trees.

At first, all I could make out was a thin, graceful outline, obviously that of a girl. As she got closer, I couldn't deny a familiarity. I _knew_ her.

Finally, she got close enough for me to see her face. Her skin was dark, smooth, her eyes a soft hazel. Her lips were stretched into a creepy smile.

"Elena," Bonnie greeted.

Apparently, Klaus had compelled her. She couldn't defy him, even if she knew what was going on, what she was doing. Behind her, Katherine pulled in a werewolf. The poor, convulsing creature looked terrified. I recognized him, too, as Tyler Lockwood.

"What the hell is going on?" he growled. "What _am _I?"

He was thrown to the ground by the scruff of his neck. Katherine exchanged a nod with Klaus, and then she vanished. Damon watched her in disgust.

Klaus came over, grabbed Damon by his t-shirt, and yanked him from me.

"No!" I roared, and tried to grab him back. Klaus pushed me away, holding me at bay with his strong hand. I thrashed against him, trying to reach Damon as I screamed bloodcurdlingly.

"Elena." Damon locked eyes with me and everything moved in slow motion as I stretched to reach his hand. Our desperate attempts to stay with each other were put to an end as Klaus hauled Damon away. I tried to follow, but Damon shook his head 'no.' A hopeless feeling dropped into my gut.

Now, if the field was the size of a football field, Damon was in the right goal line and Tyler was in the left, and I was sitting in the fifty yard line. I felt all alone, and I curled my arms over my body protectively.

A circle went up in flames around Tyler, then Damon, and then me as Bonnie chanted under her breath. I watched Damon's eyes grow furious. _He was scared_.

I couldn't take it. I couldn't let him die, not for this. I loved him, didn't I?

But what could I do? How could I stop this?

"_You're irreplaceable_."

Klaus needed me for the sacrifice—without me, no dice. If I could put off the sacrifice, Damon and I might have a split second to get out before Klaus killed all of us out of anger.

And it may've been just enough time.

If I could just die before the sacrifice, Klaus would have no doppelganger to kill. His entire plan would go down the drain.

But how to do it…_could_ I do it? Could you kill yourself with your bare hands?

Probably not, but the fire erupting in front of me could help.

Even from fifty yards away, I knew Damon saw the flash in my eyes as I realized what to do. I stood and blew him a kiss. He shook his head at me, but it was too late—my mind was made up.

The fire was creeping closer to Tyler. I had no time to waste. I looked Klaus straight in the eye, trying to communicate all the hatred in one look.

Then, I took a deep breath, and without another thought, I fell forward, right into the fire.


	12. Chapter 12

**Okayy, don't hate me. I totally neglected you guys and this story for, what, like a week? I suck. I know. **

**Sorryyyyyy! **

**Forgive me? PLease.**

** And enjoy! ;)**

When I woke up, I didn't feel all the way…there. The world was tilting and all in black and white through my half-opened eyes. Figures, faceless people, were running around. My skin was burning, but the pain in my wrists and head had evaporated. Smoke littered the air. I sighed and put my head back down on the cool ground. My throat was raw and achy—I was thirsty, or maybe hungry, I couldn't tell which. My head felt cluttered; it didn't hurt, but my thoughts were scattered like papers in the wind.

"Elena," someone's voice warped.

I opened one eye. The form a man dressed in all black swayed in front of me. He slipped into a crouch just inches from my tired eyes, but somehow I couldn't quite make out his facial features. "Elena." He reached out and shook my shoulder. Blue eyes stared back at me.

Slowly, the blurriness ebbed. "Damon?"

He groaned in relief and swiftly scooped me up into his arms. "Up you go. We need to book—_now_."

I nodded and my stomach lurched as he began to run. For the first time, when we were moving at this speed, I could still see as clearly as I could have if he was still. It was as though my eyesight had matured all of a sudden. I'd never experienced a run like this; it was a bit frightening.

The events that had unfurled mere hours, or perhaps minutes ago began to stream themselves back into my mind slowly and choppily. Disoriented, I examined my surroundings again. The clearing was all too familiar, and in recognizing it brought a sense of dread. This was a bad, bad place.

I was supposed to be dead by now, I recalled.

"Damon," I croaked. "Damon, what happened?" I pried one of my hands from his shoulders to rub the base of my throat with it. "Why do I feel like this?"

"Because you're an incredibly brave yet horribly stupid person, that's why," he muttered.

Then I remembered. The last thing I did before I passed out was throw myself into a ring of fire. To ensure that it hadn't all been a bad dream, I checked out the ground. The grass was singed a sickening charcoal color. I gagged.

I was transitioning to become a _vampire_.

I went into full-on panic setting, and my mind shut down on itself. I refused, absolutely refused, to think about my impending doom. Instead, I focused on the present, much like I used to do to distract myself from thinking about my parents.

I realized with a zap of surprise that I almost never thought about them anymore. I didn't know if that made me an insensitive brat or an actually mentally healthy person again.

I squeezed my eyes shut for just a second, exiling the thought from my mind like deleting a bad photo from a camera. When I reopened them, I locked eyes with Bonnie, just for the briefest of seconds. She looked frightened and confused, as though the compulsion had worn off and now she understood what she'd been about to do to me. I widened my eyes, as if to tell her that I forgave her. She turned away quickly and took off running, with Tyler Lockwood right at her heels.

I frowned. _Why did she do that_?

Then I saw him.

Klaus's features were a mask of pure fury. He barreled towards us, ignoring Bonnie and Tyler as they broke out of the field, into the thicket of trees. I heard leaves rustling and sticks cracking under their feet as they rushed to get out of dodge. Klaus didn't waste any time taking a second glance at them; he had his sight set on Damon and I as we tried to get to the woods before he could get to us. He'd be easier to run from in there, with all the coverage.

I didn't think I could still be used in his sacrifice, now that I wasn't exactly human, but I couldn't be sure. After all, I wasn't fully a vampire yet either. I was hanging in the place after life but before death, and something told me that this existence was more torturous than either of those other places.

I shook myself back to the real world quickly, because those thoughts were borderline dangerous. I would worry about my choice when I was somewhere warm and safe, somewhere that I could crumble without anyone seeing it.

The truth was, I didn't want to be a vampire, not at all. But I couldn't think about that right now. I had to focus, because Klaus was getting closer, and Damon was running slower. I was too heavy; I could tell that I was slowing him down.

"Damon," I whispered.

His face pinched as he strained to go faster. He didn't answer me.

"You have to let go of me."

He opened his mouth to object, but I slid my hand from around his neck to cover his lips with it before he could say anything. "Shh, listen. I have an idea, I think." He nodded, and I let my hand drop to the neckline of his shirt.

Even though this was probably one of the most tense moments we'd ever be in, he still shivered when my fingertip grazed his neck, and it still made me smile in spite of my self.

"I think I'll be able to go as fast as you can, because I can already feel my old body changing. My eyesight has improved, and I feel different; sturdier, maybe. I think I'll be able to keep up." He nodded, confirming that I could run at a greater speed while I was transitioning. Encouraged, I went on. "Please, Damon, trust me. We'll both go faster this way."

His eyes flashed with desperation as he realized that he had to let go of me. "Listen to me very carefully, Elena Gilbert. I'm going to toss you a few feet in front of me in about ten seconds. You will not fall behind, because if you do, I will come back for you. And I will gladly die for you, if that's what it takes for you to get away. So don't screw up."

I nodded uneasily and waited, testing my muscles in anticipation.

"Three…" he breathed, squeezing my hand. "Two…" Klaus made a grab for me, his fingertips just brushing my hair. "_One_!"

I was flung so quickly that it took a second for my mind to process what had happened. Instead of feet, I landed yards in front of Damon. I was bicycling my legs in the air before my toes even touched the ground, and then without a pause as I landed, I ripped up grass, flying. My hair whipped behind me, and wind flooded my ears. I could smell the dirt in the forest, it was that close. Just a few more feet and Damon and I would be home free.

Then I stopped hearing Damon's footfalls behind me.

And I skidden to a complete hault.

Klaus had his hand wrapped around Damon's throat, and he used it to lift Damon five feet in the air, and then drive him into the ground hard enough to make the trees in the forest quake.

I cried out as Damon cringed in pain. He rolled backwards quickly, flipping onto his feet. My heart pounded. I couldn't stand there and watch him die, but…what could I do? How could I help?

I watched, feeling utterly hopeless.

"Elena!" I whirled at the sound of my name, surprised enough to take my eyes off of Damon. There stood Caroline, with eyes the color of blood and fury crossing her face.

I gasped. "You're…you're a—"

"Yeah, I know."

I turned back to the fight quickly. "Car, we need to talk about this later."

"I didn't come here to talk," she laughed. "I came here to save all of your asses."

I turned to see Stefan behind her. I blinked. "You're…going to help us? But—you could die!"

Stefan didn't waste any time at all; he sprinted and tackled an oblivious Klaus as soon as he saw the two of them.

"They're family," Caroline offered as explanation. "Kind of."

Then, in a blur, she was over there, too, and suddenly it was three on one. I cursed under my breath but quickly joined in like the idiot I was. Caroline threw me an approving smile as she ducked a punch. Damon caught the fist that had hit empty space, and twisted Klaus's arm behind his back. Stefan hit Klaus from behind, tackling him. Caroline took his legs, holding them down. I held Klaus's other arm. His fingernails grew into claws and sliced into my skin. I bit back a shriek and pulled tighter on his arm in response. He cursed nastily. I thought we had him beat, but then he bucked, and Stefan went flying. When he slammed hard into a tree, Caroline's head snapped up and Klaus took the opportunity to get his foot out from under her and use it to hurl her off. She tumbled a few feet away. Finally, Klaus ripped his claws all the way down my arm until the pain was so severe that my own instinct was strong enough to force my fingers off of him. Once free, he dug those nails into Damon, and I gasped.

"Stop! Please, Klaus! Stop," I begged.

He growled at me as he tapped a talon against Damon's heart. "I would kill you now," he threatened, "But I want you to watch her die first."

I almost felt relieved that I didn't have to see Damon die, but I knew that I couldn't let this happen. I wasn't finished living. I had to find a way out.

"Elena!" Caroline shouted, and I turned to find something hurdling towards me. A brand new reflex kicked in, and I grabbed the object one-handed right out of the air.

"Ouch," I said, a splinter rubbing off on my thumb. I examined the sharp, pointed object in my hand. It was carved of a light wood, and its tip was almost elegant. It had been made to slice through the thickest of skins.

Without even thinking, I lunged towards Klaus. He vanished before I could make contact. I caught my balance before I toppled over, and looked around. There was no trace of Klaus. I frowned. I'd really scared him.

Before I could contemplate it, I was in Damon's arms. He tackled me with a force that made my heart drop to my stomach, sprout wings, and fly all the way back up to my throat. His lips found my eyes, my cheekbones, the tip of my nose, my forehead, my neck. My breath caught. He pulled away, his nose just baely grazing mine.

"I watched you die," he whispered.

That's when I lost it. I couldn't help it. I began to sob his name, and I hid my face in his neck. He smelled good, soothing. He rubbed my back and let me cry all over him. "Damon. Damon, I—I don't want—"

He smoothed my hair. "I know."

I cried until I felt dizzy and until we were alone in the clearing. He frowned at the darkening sky. "We need to get you human blood—fast."

I swayed. "O—okay." I didn't want to be a vampire, but I wasn't ready to die either. I'd known what I was setting myself up for when I'd jumped into that fire. However, that didn't mean that I was happy about it.

Damon carried me away in his arms. I felt bad, but I didn't object. I needed the closeness, and I could see that he did, too. A few times, he would look down and smile at me, or place kisses on my lips, or move my hair from my face with his pinkie. He had a car waiting for us about a mile from the clearing. He laid me carefully in the passenger seat. He backed away to close the door, but then changed his mind and ducked back in to press his lips to my mouth. His hands cupped my neck and I kissed him back, wrapping my fingers around his wrists to try to pull him closer.

"Keep this up and we'll never get you to a blood bank in time," he whispered.

I giggled, of all things, and he kissed me again as though he couldn't help himself.

"Mmm," he moaned, and then vanished, only to reappear in the driver's seat next to me, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

I rode in peace for a few moments. He drove calmly, as though he weren't at all concerned about a surprise visit from Klaus, but I could see the tightness in his eyes that gave away his fear. I gazed at him shamelessly, quite enjoying the view. His eyelashes hooded his eyes, which often gave away all the feeling he tried to hide.

Our banter always seemed so playful, but I knew that it was a front of his. He felt things so deeply, but he couldn't stand for anyone to know that. That was why when he spoke, he made sure he sounded as careless as could be. Damon was the kind of man who wasn't afraid to be that bad guy, if it would save someone he cared for. He was an all in or out type of guy. He wasn't afraid to roll the dice when he needed to, and I loved that about him. It also scared the hell out of me sometimes. I feared that I would be the death of him. I had no doubt in my mind that he would've died for me today, if I'd have let him. I had to find away to protect him from me.

"Elena?"

I blinked. "Yes?"

He met my eyes for a second. "Are you okay?"

I sighed. "Honestly?"

"Of course."

"No," I answered coldly. "I don't know what to do. I'll just take things one step at a time, I guess."

He reached for my hand, and I held his. "I'll help you. We'll get through this. Okay?" He lifted our hands and kissed the back of mine. "Together."

I nodded. "Damon?"

"Yes?"

"Are _you_ okay? Honestly."

His face stilled and I knew he was debating whether to say anything. Finally, he murmured, "No." He drew in a deep breath. "I never wanted you to have to do this. I wanted you to grow up, get married, have children. To be a wife, a good friend, a mom, a grandmother even. I wanted you to have a future as a human, but now you're stuck, just like I am and I…I wish that you weren't."

That stung a bit. "You wish that I'd died tonight?"

He nailed me with a steely look. "You did."

"You're mad." My breath began to shake. "How is any of this my fault?"

He looked at me sharply. "Are you insane? None of this is your fault, Elena! I did this to you." He ran his hands threw his hair. "I should have walked away from you the moment I knew that I was in love with you. But I didn't, and now look at you!"

I tilted my head to the side, mouth slightly open in awe.

"What?" He finally bit.

I straightened and licked my dry lips. "I love you, too, Damon."

His face cleared completely, and he squeezed my hand. "Thank you."


	13. Chapter 13

Damon got us home in a hurry, as I only had about an hour window left to get some human blood down. If I couldn't, I'd die. I didn't love the idea that I could die within the next hour if I couldn't sink my teeth into a blood bag, because that meant that I really didn't have much time to come to terms with the choices I'd made.

Truth be told, I wasn't ready for this. I didn't want to live forever. I wanted to grow up and die someday, just like everyone else. Eternal life wasn't something I wanted if I couldn't have everyone with me. How was I supposed to watch everyone I cared about die? Bonnie, Caroline, _Jeremy_? I didn't want to outlive them, especially not by thousands of years!

The only thing I was sure about was the present moment. I couldn't make any plans for the future. Right then on that day, I knew with a gut wrenching certainty that I was in love with Damon Salvatore. But he was only my first love, really. I'd never loved anyone, even Matt, the way I loved Damon. But how could I expect to love him the same way for the rest of eternity? We'd only known each other since September, for God's sake! What would happen in ten, twenty years? Would I still have wanted to throw myself in front of that fire? Would I still give my mortality to save Damon's (undead) life?  
I couldn't know the answer to that question. Feelings changed like the weather. A year ago, I could have convinced myself that I loved Matt. Would things be like that between Damon and I after time?

And if they were, what would that mean for me? That I was to live forever all alone? Loveless and companionless until the day that someone staked me?  
Not to mention the other risks I'd be facing. I wouldn't be able to go into the sunlight until I got my hands on the rings enchanted by Emily who was, oh yeah, dead. Plus, I'd have an entire council of Founding Families after me, according to the info I'd picked up from Sheriff Forbes.

Damon's world seemed intriguing now, but what about later?

That was when I knew that no matter how selfish it was, I was going to reject the blood. I would refuse to take it. I was nothing if not myself, and once I became a vampire, the real Elena would be gone. A bloodthirsty, uncontrollable monster could very well replace her. I couldn't do that to myself, or put that on Jeremy. That was even worse than dying.

Not taking the blood was the right thing to do. But I couldn't tell Damon, he'd stop me. I'd have to pretend that I drank it.

I wouldn't get to say goodbye to him after all.

I looked at Damon through my lashes as we pulled into the driveway of his house. His face was set in determination, his eyes cold. He didn't want to do this.

Or so I thought. But then, something in his face changed. A smile, a real smile pulled on his lips. He stopped the car and flashed to my side, pulling open the door for me. He cupped my face in his hand and tilted his head to the side. "I can't wait for you to be mine, forever," he murmured, kissing my cheek.

It took everything I had not to cry as he swept me into his arms and carried me into the house. Stefan shot up from the couch upon seeing me, and rushed to his brother's side. His form was blurry; I was starting to lose it.

I wondered if this would go quickly, or if I would suffer.

"How is she?" Stefan asked, concerned.

Damon held me tighter. "She needs blood. Fast."

"I'm coming."

Damon immediately objected.

An idea struck me. Damon would never let me refuse the blood, but Stefan might understand that I wanted it to be my choice. I stirred, picking my limp head off his shoulder. "No, I want him there, Damon. Please. The more the merrier." The last sentence sounded as out of it and loopy as I felt.

Hands that didn't belong to Damon brushed damp strands of hair from my forehead. "She's hot."

Damon spoke tightly. "I agree, but she's mine. So paws off." I thought I heard Stefan's hand being swatted.

"I meant temperature-wise," Stefan said tiredly. I supposed that over a century of Damon's quick remarks would grow irritating.

Damon heaved a sigh. "I knew what you meant. You have no sense of humor." We turned and I was carried through the house. My surroundings grew blurrier and blurrier until finally, I gave up and closed my eyes. I felt myself turning corners and then bumping down stairs, and then turning more corners until finally I was placed on a warm, dusty floor. A blood bag was ripped open and placed into my hands.

I opened my eyes slowly. My mouth ached in desperation for the soothing liquid I held in my hands. All I needed was one tiny sip to cool the burning in my core. I reached my hand up slowly.

And I stopped myself.

This couldn't happen. I couldn't do this. I raised my eyes from the blood and met Damon head-on. "I can't."

"You _what_?"

I turned pleading eyes to Stefan. "You have to help me, please. I only need you to hold him off for a half hour at most. I don't want to do this. I don't want to be a vampire."

Pain flickered across Damon's face. "Elena-I love you." It sounded like a beg. "Please, we only have minutes." He took a step towards me. "I don't want to force feed you the blood, Elena, but I will. I won't lose you."

"Damon, if you love me, you'll understand that you have to let me go. Please."

He groaned. "Why are you doing this to me?"

I tipped the bag over and dumped it onto the floor. "This is the way it has to be, Damon. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

He launched himself at me. I saw it, and I thought that was going to be it, but then he stopped. No, someone stopped him. Stefan stopped him. I watched as they wrestled, and Stefan somehow got Damon into a cell, and locked him behind a huge, heavy door. I couldn't believe that Stefan had accomplished that-Damon was the strongest person I knew; the strongest vampire I knew.

"Being off human blood has its disadvantages, doesn't it Damon?"

He growled as he beat against the door. "You're drinking from the vein again?"

"You aren't?"

Damon pounded against the door wildly. "Please, Stefan, let me out!" He beat against the door harder. It shook with his movements.

I wasn't sure Damon had ever begged his brother for anything, by the look that crossed Stefan's face.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't like seeing him that way-even if I could hardly see him at all. "Get me out of here, Stefan. He can't see this," I requested. With a nod, Stefan scooped me up off the ground and lugged me away. Exhausted, I slumped against him. The last thing I heard was Damon's harsh screams, grunts and snarls as he tried with every bit of his vampire strength to get out.

_"Elena!"_

I think maybe I fell asleep in Stefan's arms. When I woke up, I was lying on something soft. A bed, I presumed. I wasn't sure whose it was. Everything hurt, and I was so, so hungry. It was hard to remind myself of what I was fighting for, when I wanted to surrender _so_ badly.

I felt myself being sucked away, maybe into death, or possibly just sleep again. It was sick that I wished it was death, but I just wanted everything to be over.

Pressure landed on my chest and I couldn't breathe. I choked on a scream. My eyes shot open. That was it; I needed blood.

Expect when they opened, I didn't see whatever room I thought I was sitting in.

I saw my car. My mom. My dad. All submerged in water. I even saw myself, reaching for my father as he slammed against the window with his elbow. I saw the image, that terrible image that had taken me four moths to get out of my head, of my mother's breathless, drowned body laying back against the car seat. I saw myself letting go, saw my dad giving up.

And then I saw Stefan. I saw him swimming down towards the car. I saw him go for my father's door...and I saw my father shaking his head 'no'. He pointed to my seemingly lifeless form in the backseat, and I saw the change in Stefan's expression as he caught sight of me. With a nod, he moved to my car door, pushing water out of his way with his strong arms. I didn't move as those same arms folded around me, dragging me from the car with incredible speed. We pulled to the surface, where he layed me against the water's bank. Dirt stuck to my body as he rolled me to find my wrist and get a pulse. He must've felt something that reassured him, because he then bit into his wrist, ripping it open, and placed it against my mouth. I watched myself drink the blood in large gulps, watched the cuts and scrapes disappear slowly. I began to regain consciousness, and I sat up, looking into Stefan's eyes.

Hazel eyes.

I remembered this. And I knew that this was the part where he would compel me to forget it.

I woke up from the memory with a start. My father had turned down his salvation for mine. I couldn't betray his last wish now by not taking the blood. I had to honor him; I had to do this, and somehow, I had to find a way to survive this.

I owed it to him.

"Stefan," I called in a hoarse whisper. "Stefan!"

I heard a door creak open. "What, what's wrong?"

"The blood...I want it. I need it. I changed my mind, just please. Please get some for me."

His fingers brushed my cheek with an unexpected tenderness. "Are you certain?"

I nodded. "Please, hurry."

My eyes fluttered closed as he left the room, casting a cold breeze over me in his rush. He returned with a bloodied, bruised Damon, and handed me a full bag.

Damon was by my side with the bag in an instant, and he didn't give me a second to object. He tore the bag open and pushed it into my lips.

The smell wafted around me, filling the room with its sweet aroma. I grabbed the warm plastic bag from him and, with a deep breath, I began to suck the blood from it.


	14. Chapter 14

**I know it took me a really long time to upload AGAIN and I'm so* sorry but I've been sick...bleh. **

**YOUR REVIEWS MAKE MY WHOLE LIFE. I LOVE THEM. **

**Enjoy, and so sorry for the wait. (:**

I shifted on the too comfortable mattress, trying in vain to find a suitable position to lie in.

It had been only hours since my transformation. I was staying at Damon's house, although I knew I needed to get to Jenna. I hated thinking that I would have to compel her when I got back, but I had no other option. She would be too confused if I didn't clear things up for her. Still, I despised the fact that I had to violate her mind that way. It wasn't right.

I'd hardly drunk any blood in the past few hours. I was too afraid that I'd lose control. All that I did drain was from the blood bags from the fridge in the Salvatore basement. I didn't like the cold taste on my tongue—it was wrong somehow, like trying to drink hot chocolate after you've let it cool for too long. It took away some of the deliciousness.

I reasoned that that may not be the worst thing. I shouldn't love the taste of human blood. It was so unnatural, so monstrous. I was a predator, and yet I could not think of humans, my friends, my family, as my prey. I was equipped with all the tools for killing or maiming—it was what I was meant to do. And I didn't want to.

No, no that was a lie. I did want to. I wanted to kill, to feed. I craved hot, pulsing blood straight from the vein of a struggling, meaningless body. I wanted to drink until I wasn't hungry, even if it took forever. My want for blood seemed so much more important than their need for it.

It was kind of cruel that I had to crave human blood, the one thing humans can't live without. No blood, no circulation, heart stops beating. They needed blood. I didn't—at least I didn't need all of it. I just wanted it all, every drop. I knew I couldn't have that much, though. I knew I had to leave them with enough to keep them alive.

I also knew that right now I wouldn't be able to. Hence the blood bags.

The day had been slow, dragging. Everything felt different, and everything was amplified—my guilt for what I was, my love for my family, my hunger, and most of all, my need for Damon.

Who had been nearly nonexistent throughout the whole day, which had wrecked my nerves up pretty efficiently, of course. I was worried about what his absence meant, but couldn't find it in me to focus on it. I had other, more important things to figure out first. Like how I was going to tell Jeremy.

I rolled over in my bed—Damon's bed, actually— glancing at the clock. Though the lights were off, I could see perfectly, thanks to my new-and-improved vision. Vampire perk. Damon was nowhere to be found in the room, but I felt confident that I could locate him. He had to be in the house somewhere, and there was no way I was getting any sleep after this very long day until I spoke to him.

I groaned and kicked out from under the soft sheets, pushing up the sleeves of Damon's worn grey hoodie. I'd had him pegged for a leather-jacket, black-T-shirt kind of guy, but it turned out that he actually did own some comfy clothes.

My feet hit the frosty cold floor without a sound, which was strange. As a human, I hadn't noticed the way I walked a bit clumsily or made noise when I moved; but now that the noise was gone, I missed it. It was weird that I was so silent; like I was a ghost.

I shook off the thought as I crept out of the room, barely feeling the draft from the door as I swung it open. It was a bit sticky inside the house, the heater working a little too hard. I rolled the sleeves of the shirt up further, glad I'd opted for a pair of boxer shorts over Damon's sleep pants.

I placed my hand on the smooth wooden railing as I poured myself down the stairs. A dim light came from the kitchen, but other than that, I had to look at the house through night-vision.

As soon as my toes hit the bottom step, I knew the second floor of the house was empty. I couldn't feel Damon's presence. Curiously, I turned on my heel and jogged back up, sniffing around for that vampire in question.

A wind coming from down the hallway blew my hair back from my shoulders, and I turned towards it. I followed the breeze all the way down the corridor, stopping in the opened doorway of another room. This one was vacant, apart from the 5"10 vampire standing in the balcony.

French door style windows had been opened and he perched in between them. Gusts of wind blew his hair back, along with his unbuttoned white t-shirt. His hands were placed casually on his hips, his shoulders uncharacteristically slouching.

I frowned. Something was not right with him. Testing out my new vampire speed, I zipped across the room to reach him, feeling the fresh, cool air hit my face.

"Damon?"

He refused to answer, instead turning those shiny blue eyes on me. They looked a bit too shiny tonight.

"Damon, what's the matter?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You were going to let yourself die, 'Lena."

I looked at the ground, shame settling in my stomach. This sad expression on his angelic face was because of something I'd done to hurt him, and I hated that. "I'm sorry." I should've expected all of this, expected that he would be upset. How did the fact that I hadn't attest to my character?

"You can go ahead and be sorry, Elena, but you still don't _get it_!"

"Get what, Damon, what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to explain to me why you thought it was okay to put me through the pain of thinking that I was going to have to live my entire existence without you. That you gave your life to escape something that I forced you into." He paused, fuming. "You had him _lock _me in a _cell_, Elena."

"I-"

"I thought I was never going to see you again."

I decided to just shut up and let him get everything off his chest.

"Why is it so difficult for you to comprehend that I need you alive, Elena? How could you not have known what your death would have done to me?" He dragged a hand down his face. "Jesus Christ, I sound like that sparkly vampire with the Stefan-hair."

I wrinkled my nose and tried not to let the giggle tickling my chest get out of my mouth. Damon could be so funny at the most inappropriate times.

Even he had half a smile on his face, but it disintegrated quickly. "I'm serious, 'Lena. I need you to be safe. And I will make sure that nothing happens to you."

"How?" I challenged. "Tonight, Stefan let me make my own choice. You were so set on making it for me that he had to lock you up. How did you plan on stopping me tonight? Huh?"

He glared at me. "Do you have any idea how close I came to killing my own brother for this? It was only a matter of time before I got the door off its hinges. Go ahead and check downstairs; I'd already knocked it halfway free. Stefan should be down there fixing it."

My eyes widened. "Did you hurt him?"

"He's lucky I didn't _end_ him."

If I was human, my heart would've been beating irregularly. "Is he okay?"

Damon sighed heavily. "Yes, Elena. He's fine; vampires heal quickly. He may feel that stake in his back in the morning, but aside from that, he's in mint condition."

I gasped. "Oh my God, you didn't!"I turned to run and check on poor Stefan, but Damon caught my arms and held me.

"Yes, Elena, I did. And I would do it again. I cannot lose you."

I jerked away from him, thoroughly freaked out, and ran. My thought raced a mile a minute. This wasn't the Damon I'd known. This Damon was a lot scarier, and much too protective. This Damon would kill for me, die for me…and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

On the other hand, he had a point. How could I have been so selfish? I was no better than Katherine, I realized with a stabbing ache. I only did what was best for myself.

Still, he needed to understand that there was a limit to how far he could go to protect me. If he didn't have boundaries, this would never work.

I hit the stairs to the basement and padded down, hoping to find Stefan mending a door. Instead, there he was, locked in the same cell Damon had been in. I swiftly found the catch and unhooked it, letting myself in. Stefan lay in a heap in the middle of the dusty floor.

I crouched down next to him and patted his shoulder. "Stefan?" My hair fell over my face, and I tucked it behind my ear impatiently. "Stefan, it's Elena. Can you hear me? Do you need help?"

He grunted and rolled over, exposing his bloodied side. The stake was still stuck in it. "I can't reach it," he rasped and dragged in a pained breath. "I need you to pull it out."

I bit down on my lip and nodded. "How do I do this without hurting you?"

"Just do it fast and don't watch."

Following his instructions carefully, I reached out gingerly for the stake embedded in his skin. I got all hot and sweaty and icky when I realized that skin had grown around the wound, trapping the stake in his body. I'd have to rip him open all over again.

As sound as my fingers wrapped around the rough wood, I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled back, knocking myself over in the process. A yell escaped Stefan as the stake tore against his flesh. A few pants later, I was upright and his wound was closing. He groaned and moved slowly.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded tensely. "Thank you."

I sat back, crossing my legs. He adjusted himself, rolling his shoulder and flexing the muscles in his back, wincing as he did so. "Damn it, that hurt."

My face fell. "This is all my fault, Stefan, I'm so sorry. I feel horrible."

He shrugged. "Damon's unpredictable sometimes. I get it."

"Thank you so much for your help," I began. "I know it must seem confusing, that I changed my mind so many times, but I realized that I owed it to my family to carry on." I paused. "You saved me."

He stilled, all movement ceasing. Even his breathing stopped, and his mouth set into a completely expressionless line.

"So this is your serious face," I joked, trying to lighten him up. I need to hear the story from him, and I didn't know how I was going to do that if he refused to even move.

A small smile danced across his lips. "No, that's just my every day face. But don't worry, you're not the first person to make the mistake."

I offered a smile, but then I grew somber. I looked him dead in the eye. "I saw everything that you made me forget and I…I wanted to thank you for saving my life. For trying to save my dad's, too."

He frowned. "I went back for him, you know. But by then I was too late." His eyes found the ground, dark lashes shading them.

I touched my tongue to the inside of my top two teeth, searching for a response. "I know why you did what you did…but I can't help but feel even guiltier now, about what happened to them."

"Don't. Don't dishonor your father by living a life of sadness. I know that you feel awful about what happened, but he wouldn't have wanted that. He asked me to get you out of the car. He wanted you to live. So do it; live. Be happy."

I nodded. "I will." After that, there was really nothing to be said. The silence continued on until finally I couldn't sit still. "Do you need anything else or…?"

He shook his head, standing fully on his feet. "Don't worry about me, you've done enough." After a pause, he placed an unexpected kiss on my cheek. "I know that the way Damon behaved tonight scared you, but truthfully, you've changed him for the better, Elena. If this was one hundred years ago, he would've killed me for what I did tonight; but now…he's different. And I know it has everything to do with you." With that, he walked off, leaving me there to ponder the craziness of the night and to try to get some faint idea of what the hell was going to happen now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Guys I'm really * sorry that this update has taken so long. Believe it or not, I have this life and I've had a lot of living to do the past week. I'm sorry, I want nothing more than to make this story my first priority, but sadly, that's just not how it works. **** :( Anyways, please enjoy. **

**Oh, and I've decided to dedicate this chapter to all my reviewers, particularly Suzanne London, as her recent review made my whole week. I really loved it, and it inspired this chapter. So thank you! Here you go :)**

I slammed hard against the back of a tree and slid down slowly, groaning. I had yet to master fighting skills.

Damon and I had spent the balance of the week training. He said that Klaus could come for us eventually, since we had royally pissed him off, and I needed to be ready. Even with my new vampire strength, Damon's blows hurt like Hell. It looked like it hurt him to hurt me, though, so I tried to keep a poker face.

Today was a Friday, and I was especially tired. Every bruise I'd gotten had healed swiftly, although some had taken longer than others, and every cut or scrape had crusted over and evaporated within minutes of receiving, so no, I wasn't physically exhausted. It was the mental toll that I was feeling now. I'd been hunting animals with Stefan or raiding blood banks with Damon for five days now, and I couldn't get enough blood—I also couldn't shake the urge to get that blood straight from a pulsing vain. Guilt was consuming me, and I felt as though my sanity were slowly unraveling. How could I go on with his crazy desire to kill? Things that had once mattered so much—school, friends, even cheerleading or relearning to drive a car—they had skidded to the very bottom of my priority list. Learning to cope with being a vampire was first.

Klaus was second. I was so scared of him. Damon had said that he wasn't sure why Klaus hadn't followed us back home that night. We all knew that there had to be something big brewing—we could sense it like a thunderstorm. And now I sat like the dog afraid of thunder, with my tail between my legs and my head tucked under Damon's arm, shielding myself from the first strike of lightning. Because I knew that when it came down to it, the thunder would be louder than my bark—I knew that Klaus was inevitably stronger than me, no matter how much I trained or conditioned my body. He was a thousand years old, for crying out loud! There was no way I could stand against him, not even with Stefan and Damon fighting beside me.

Which brought me to the topic of Damon. I still worried that he would do something stupid for me, and I hadn't forgotten my vow to protect him from myself. I was also still clueless as to how to keep him from sacrificing himself or his brother for me. But I'd have to ponder that one and get back to it.

Jenna and Jeremy also needed to be worked out. Poor Jer had already lost enough family members; he didn't need to lose me, too. Guilt pierced at my heart. How must it have felt for him to be released from the hospital and not find his sister waiting for him at home? And Jenna, did she even remember that I was gone? I needed to look into her compulsion.

Finally, to top all of it off, Damon had barely said three words to me that hadn't been in connotation with training. He was really mad, and I really needed him. I wondered how long it would take for him to forgive me, or if he ever truly would. I'd sincerely hurt him, and it killed me to think about how selfish I'd been. I was almost worse than Katherine.

Now, lying there on the wet ground, soaked in sweat and blood from wounds that had already healed, I didn't think I could get back up. I groaned and rolled over, grabbing fistfuls of grass in my hands.

I was suddenly furious.

Why did all of this happen to me? What had I done wrong? It was like everything was piling on—both my parents were dead and now that I was immortal, I'd get to watch the rest of my family die, too; Caroline was a vampire and she hadn't even told me; I had no idea what had happened to Bonnie and Tyler; Klaus, the most powerful being on Earth, was plotting some terrible feat for me; Damon couldn't be bothered to speak to me—and now, now I had tears in my eyes and an ache for blood in my throat.

I tore off the ground, letting a growl through my teeth that had no hint of anything human in it. The fury and adrenaline I felt were pure, and they were the first solid emotions I'd had in a while that could even compare in strength to hunger.

So I lashed out.

At the tree.

I kicked my foot up into the bark the way Damon had taught, and it swayed from its base to its branches. Sticks and dead leaves fell around me, but I ignored them. I pounded on the tree with my fists until my knuckles bled and splinters covered them—wooden splinters, the only substance that could make me feel long lasting, physical pain at the moment. I heard cracks as I wailed on the tree with all I had, and I felt it shake even harder, but I couldn't have cared if it had fallen on an entire camp site full of people. I was that overwhelmed.

"_I _hate _this_," I screamed as I banged my shoulder against the tree, feeling the bone pop out of the socket and then snap right back into place. "I hate it," I cried. "I didn't want this." I kicked harder. "I hate being a bloodsucking, red eyed, freaking murderous _vampire_!"

On that last word I heard a giant crunch. I stopped crying and looked up in time to see a very long, very thick branch heading straight for me.

And I didn't move out of the way.

Something heavier than the branch slammed into me and I flew six feet back. The falling part of the tree hit the ground with a thunderous boom, and I watched dust fly over the shoulder of the vampire who'd knocked me out of the way.

"Damn it, Elena," Damon snarled and wrestled me to the ground. He pinned me down, hands braced against the ground on either side of my head. Our noses almost touched. "You were going to do it again," he accused. "You were going to let yourself die."

More tears came, but I tried to control myself when a disgusted look crossed his face. "I—I'm sorry," I sobbed. "Not just about this." I laid my head back on the floor and gave in to the flowing tears. "I'm so sorry."

After that, he let me sob. Neither of us moved, apart from my shaking shoulders. When the last of the tears were out, he kissed the wetness from my cheeks. His eyes were still hot with fury. "You make me crazy," he whispered, thumb catching the edge of my T-shirt and brushing it up. His fingertips grazed my skin. Shivers cascaded through me. "Even when I can't stand you, I can't stand to be away from you." With that, his mouth dropped to mine, and the rest of the world was forgotten in an instant.

His hand molded to the bare skin of my waist, his hips pressing into me. His tongue brushed my lips quickly, and I fought back a gasp. Words could not describe how much I loved him. But maybe this kiss could. I reached my arms around him and pulled him closer. We rolled so that he was under me, and I sat back, pulling our lips apart for a moment. His body reacted, his mouth following mine as his head leaned forward to chase me back. He stopped when I pulled far enough away, and I looked into his gorgeous eyes. I let my fingers trail down his face. "Damon, I'm sorry. I love you."

His jaw locked and he nodded, eyes filling with hunger. My stomach flipped happily and I leaned back into our kiss. His hand pressed into the small of my back holding me close. I couldn't help but smile. This was better, this gave me hope.

This was what I lived for.

I tacked the Jeremy problem the next day. Stefan had said I was probably strong enough to be around people now, but just in case, Damon was coming with me. I was going to have to tell Jeremy the truth. Jenna I could probably get around, as shed already been compelled—much as I disliked it. I'd hoped to be able to divulge my secret to her, but I knew she didn't need to carry that on her shoulders and, well…I was scared. Jeremy, I knew I could trust with not just my life, but Stefan and Damon's. Jenna was a different story. Yes, I would donate a kidney to her if she needed it, and yes we were family, and yes I trusted her with my own safety, but I didn't want to tell her about Damon or Stefan. Naturally, she'd be a concerned, responsible guardian, and I expected her to want to shoo the two of them away. That would complicate things even further for me, something I really didn't want.

I invited Jeremy to meet me at the Grill. There, we sat down and in a whisper, I asked him, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, Elena," he replied, "But you've got to tell me what's going on. You've been gone for a week, and Jenna doesn't remember a thing! I get it if you're slumming it with some of…my type of friends…but you've got to tell me where you've been."

I reached across the table to touch his hands, but he jerked back. "Can we not?" he muttered.

That hurt, and I flinched, but I should've expected his reaction. "Jeremy…your whole world is about to change. Everything you've ever thought was impossible…well, you just have to trust me on this. I'm not crazy. This is real; this is happening." And I explained everything to him—from start to finish, beginning to end.

When I finished, his mouth opened in a small gap, showing his surprise. His eyes seemed to be calculating which mental facility would be kindest to me. "Don't believe me?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Elena, whatever you're smoking, I'd like a hit." He started scraping his chair back from the table, but I reached a cold hand out to grip his wrist. He seemed baffled by my strength when he couldn't yank away. "Elena, let go."

I blinked and dropped his hand quickly. "Come with me."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't want to go on a shopping trip with you. Or a dinner and a movie date. We're not doing the sibling bonding thing, alright?"

"That's not what I was going to...You know what, Jeremy? Screw you!" I felt a hiss trying to claw from my lungs. "_Listen._ Our parents are dead—I get it. Believe me, no one knows that as well as I do. You think I don't realize that I'm the reason they were out there in the first place? Of course I do! Of course I miss them, Jeremy! And so does Jenna. She isn't trying to take Mom's place, and neither am I. So how about you stop feeling sorry for yourself, pushing us away, and being such a dick because somehow, Jenna and I have managed to move on with our lives. Try it."

He leaned across the table, rage boiling in his deep eyes. "This is moving on."

"No, it's not! You're just wallowing—you're not living."

"That means so much coming from a _vampire_."

I took a step back, hurt burning in my chest. "Fine," I muttered. "Do whatever you want with the information I just gave you. Do whatever the hell you want with the rest of your miserable life. Forget I cared." With that, I exited the café, tears streaming. How had I lost Jeremy in all this mess?

I didn't know who to go to except Mom. Sucked that she wasn't exactly here, but something in my subconscious knew exactly where I was going. I stopped at home, grabbed my diary, and passed right by an oblivious Jenna. She sat on the couch reading, and gave me a smile like I'd just come home from a normal day at school. I rolled my eyes and was on my way to the graveyard to visit Mom and Dad when she spoke, stopping me mid stride.

"Hey, Elena—your friend Klaus wanted me to let you know that he'd been by."

...


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's the next chapter for you guys. Thanks for the reviews, and, as always, enjoy!**

"He's after Aunt Jenna, Damon," I exclaimed, pacing around the room. I'd rushed to the Salvatore house as soon as I'd heard from Jenna and was now explaining things to my favorite of the two Salvatore brothers.

"We have to be smart about this, Elena. Klaus wants something from you. If he hasn't killed you by now, it means you're of some value to him. Let's keep it that way."

I frowned, falling into Damon's bed tiredly. I folded my legs over each other and let my eyes trace the wrinkles in the sheets. "Damon, it's her life over mine. If I have to die to save her, I will."

"I will not allow that, and you know it." He sighed, coming over to smooth my hair behind my ears. "It won't come to that," he promised. "I'm going to take care of it...you've just got to give me time to figure this out." He stayed with me for a few more minutes, until I'd calmed down a bit, and then he pulled a cell phone from his back pocket.

"What're you doing?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm going to give the hybrid in question a call."

**(DAMON'S POV)**

"Ah, Damon," Klaus's voice came from the other line. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

I stepped a bit farther into the woods, out of reach of Elena's new hearing. "An explanation."

He chuckled dangerously from the other line, and my hold on the phone tightened reflexively. Klaus was bad, bad news. "Come, now Damon, I would have thought you'd be smart with to put the pieces in place by now."

My eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed melodramatically. "Being in love with the girl has taken your edge off...you used to be a badass."

"I'm still plenty bad, you ass," I retorted. Not my best comeback, and that's when I realized, he was right. Elena had turned me soft.

_Someone, stake me now_.

"On the contrary, you're all talk now," he went on. "The Damon I knew would have done something by now."

Just because he was right didn't mean I had to give that to him. "Well, you didn't know me well, obviously. You have all the cards here, Klaus. I would be an idiot to come looking for you." What did he think, anyway? That I could kill him when I found him? I didn't have a hope in hell of walking out of that fight alive, which would be fine by me if I didn't know that Elena would follow me there and die with me.

"That's where you're wrong. You have Elena."

"Damn straight, but I don't see how that's supposed to help." She was strong emotionally, definitely, but hand to hand combat wasn't her forte. Not that I'd tell her that; our little 'training practices' wee far too much fun. But, Elena couldn't defend herself against a bunny rabbit. She had too much heart-no will to kill. And that would matter in a fight to the death.

There was a pause. "Oh…Oh, you really don't know, do you?"

I was going to lose it. "Know _what?_"

"How little you must care for her. And here I thought you were smart, cunning. Let me ask you, Damon, have you forgotten Katherine Pierce's existence completely?"

I blinked. "What does Katherine have to do with this?"

"Fool. You should know more about them, really. And to think there was a time when you loved not just one, but both of them." He sighed as though I were exasperating him. "When two doppelgangers exist as vampires, they each become incredibly powerful. Elena has the potential to be stronger than an original vampire. Really, you should catch up on your studies."

"That's impossible," I argued. "I would know if she had super strength."

"How?" He countered. "She doesn't. She won't come into power until her and Katherine share blood."

I froze. "Share blood?" Something was wrong…that was too easy. "Look, I need to know more about this. Met me at the Grill in an hour...and don't even think about coming within a thousand feet of Elena Gilbert."

Elena didn't understand why she couldn't come with me to meet Klaus. You said it yourself," she argued with me, sweeping her long hair behind her ear."I hold value to Klaus. He won't kill me."

_No, but he might snatch you up and make a run for it_, I wanted to say. But I didn't, because she couldn't know about Katherine's link with her just yet. She might go and try to be a hero. "I won't risk it."

"How is it fair that you're allowed to risk your life for me, but I can't do the same in return?"

_Because I love you more_, I whispered to myself. _Because I exist to protect you_. "Because I'm a lot stronger than you are, and if you tag along you'll just make it more complicated for me. It's easy to defend myself, but." I took that moment to trail my fingers down the pitifully fragile, pillow soft skin if her arms. "You know how you distract me."

Something in her eyes shifted, and a small smile glistened behind the worry in them. She loved me. Maybe not as dangerously as I loved her, but it was enough. "Let me take care of you," I offered pleadingly. I'd learned that she had a difficult time not giving in when I lowered my voice like that.

She closed her eyes slowly and leaned her head against my shoulder. "If you get hurt, I'm going to be so pissed."

I grinned even though she couldn't see it. "As long as you'll play nurse, I'm not too worried."

I stopped to give Stefan a heads up before I left. He promised to keep an eye on Elena. "If I'm not back in an hour, take her and get the hell out of here. Understand?"

He nodded solemnly. "Fine, but don't expect me not to come back for you."

I glared at him. "This is my mess, Little Brother. Let me fix things."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I know you think you can save the girl from our world, but it's too late. She wants in, and you need her help. If you can't realize that, you're going to lose her."

I wanted to punch him for that, but I had to get going. "Clock's ticking….And Stefan? Stay out of it, when it comes to Elena. I'll handle it."

He put his hands up in surrender. "Whatever you say."

With that, I made my way at vampire-speed to the Grill. Sometimes I really liked being immortal. I wasn't vulnerable, or lame like humans. They need cars to get going a fraction of how fast I could move on my feet. I was so free this way, not tied to anyone or anything…besides Elena.

Elena. What I felt for her was simple: I loved her. But everything after that was complicated. Stefan was right; I would lose her if I couldn't let her help just a little. She didn't just belong to me—she belonged to the world of immortal beings now, too. I'd never wanted that, but since there wasn't anything I could do to fix it…well, this blood sharing with Katherine could be her best shot. We just had to find a way to keep Klaus away from it.

Inside, the Grill smelled warm, if that could ever be classified as a smell. Matt, Elena's ex, worked at the counter, scrubbing away spilled nacho cheese and other condiments. "How's it going, Bus Boy?"

He looked up in surprise, which quickly turned into anger. "I've seen him with Caroline," he said through his teeth. I followed his stare to Klaus, who was seated in one of the booths in the back. A silver chain caught the sunlight and glinted brightly. He was so pretty-boy, I almost couldn't believe he was stronger than I was.

I leaned against the bar casually. "The squeaky blonde, right?"

A half smile entered his rough voice. "That's the one. She'd been with him a lot the past few weeks, and now she's just disappeared."

I frowned. I hoped she'd escaped Klaus's wrath that night, and the witch too. Elena cared a lot for them. "Eh, she's probably off getting her nails done or something." Another fabricated answer. If I had a conscience, I'd feel bad for lying to him.

"I don't know. Car and I have been friends for a long time, and she's never been MIA for very long. She's the life of the party, you know? And yesterday, she didn't even show up to the spring fling, which _she_ planned."

My patience was running out. "Look, Mark, is it?"

"Matt."

"Right. I'm really not in a Dr. Phil mood, but as soon as I shake Klaus over there, I'll help you look for your girlfriend. Okay?" I didn't wait for his answer, because Klaus was fidgeting, and I wasn't interested in a bored Klaus. When you're human and you're bored, you make a Twitter for your cat. When you're a thousand-year-old vampire and you're bored, you eat someone.

I took a seat across from the Original, clasping my hands in front of my on the table and leaning forward. Making myself comfortable so he wouldn't think I was intimidated. Because I wasn't—just curious. And very aware of how capable of ripping all the limbs from my body he was.

"Well, well. Damon." His tangy accent grasped onto his words tightly. "This may be the first time we've officially met."

"No, I think that was when you tried to sacrifice both me and my girlfriend for some weird hybrid curse, all because you're lonely. Might I suggest getting a girl for yourself? You seem pretty interested in Caroline Forbes…"

His eyes hardened, and now I was glad I'd talked to Matt first. "How do you know about her?"

"I know a lot of things…like how _you_ turned her. What I'd like to know is why."

He sat back. "I like her company."

"So you decided to damn her to an eternal life of killing and misery? You have a way with the ladies."

He set his jaw. "Leave Caroline out of this. We're here to talk about _your _girl, remember?"

The thought of Caroline being involved with Klaus put me on edge. He could've been using her to get to 'Lena for a long time, and I'd had no idea… "I'd prefer it if you never even thought Elena's name, but since you're so hung up on _my girl_, yes, I do want to talk about her. Specifically, what you want with her."

"I've told you that already," he yawned. "I want her to drink from Katherine and complete the link."

"Stop right there," I demanded. "What will that do to her? Will Elena be hurt? Is there any risk for her safety?"

He groaned. "For the love of God, I told you it would make her stronger. Read about it, if you don't believe me."

"I'm just being smart."

"I would have used the word 'annoying.'"

I popped my knuckles. "Alright, enough. Let's get down to the point. Why would you think I'd be okay with you drinking from Elena? Do you think we want you to be even stronger?"

"Watch the way you speak to me, Damon," he warned. "If you're not careful, I'd think you just threatened to try and stop me from getting what I want."

"Don't be sensitive, Klaus...And answer my question."

"You don't have a choice," he said finally. "I am stronger than you all, and I won't hesitate to take any of you out if I need to."

_Damn_. He was right, and my guess was that he had hold of the werewolf, the witch, and Caroline to ensure that we complied. I could deal with the loss of Caroline and the wolf, but we needed Bonnie. Furthermore, we knew he'd come too close for comfort to Jenna, and that he would go for Jeremy as well. I had no choice but to go along with Klaus. He knew it, and a smug look crossed his face. How badly I wanted to blow that smirk right off his mouth.

I wished my eyes could burn a hole through his chest, right where his ancient heart would be beating if it still could. "Fine, when do you want this to go down?"

"Soon," he answered, still smirking. "You'll get an email."

I ignored his antagonizing. "Listen, Klaus. If you go anywhere near Elena after this, I will hunt you down and kill you myself. Whether it takes out you whole sire line or not."

He glowered at me, knowing that if I was serious, there was nothing he could threaten me with. I'd have nothing to lose. "We'll see."


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry it's been so long...I have no excuse. **

**Don't hate me :(**

(Damon's POV)

"Klaus wants _what?_" Stefan demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the doorway.

I spread my hands out by my hips exasperatedly. "He wants Elena to share blood with Katherine. She'll become all-powerful, and then anyone who drinks from Elena will have those same super powers."

"So, Klaus will want to drink from her?"

I rolled my eyes. Trust Stefan to state the obvios. "Yes. Probably wants to drain her, so that she'll lose all the power and our advantage will be gone."

It seemed to click, and Stefan's eyes settled in fury like the final ashes of a squelched fire. "So how are we going to stop him?"

This was where it got tricky. I lowered my voice, looking around again for signs of Elena. She was supposed to be with Matt, talking things out, but who knew when it came to her? She barely ever listened to me. "We're going to kill Katherine."

(Elena's POV)

Matt stood behind the familiar bar, taking orders and cleaning spills. New frown and worry lines had webbed along his tan skin. As I watched him, a tsunami of sadness sent my emotions tumbling. There was such a distance between us now, and I missed when we had just been bet friends, able to talk about anything with each other. I'd hoped that our breakup wouldn't be the end of us, and maybe it wouldn't have had to be...but becoming a vampire had definitely thrown us off track.

There was something so terribly heartbreaking about Matt. He was utterly normal...and alone. Every one besides him was caught up in this supernatural universe. He must feel so out of the loop, so abandoned.

But he was safe, and I had to keep it that way.

He looked up as though he sensed me, and the bottle he'd been polishing slipped from his hand. It would've crashed and shattered on the floor if his reflexes hadn't kicked in, letting him snag the glass at the last second. He set it down slowly, never once taking his eyes of me. I gave him a timid smile, my eyes watery. I almost waved, but he didn't give me the chance.

A bit ceremoniously, he hopped right over the counter and bounded towards me. His worn shoes thudded as he swerved between tables to get to where I was standing in the doorway. I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to. Seeing an old friend coming at me had me frozen in place. I felt like I could really, freely breathe for the first time in a long time. The drama, danger and all the fighting evaporated, and all that existed right then was the big bear hug he was about to give me.

He didn't disappoint; his long, recently muscled arms wrapped around my torso. If I weren't a vampire, my bones might've been crushed by the force of his embarce. Without losing momentum, he swung me off my feet and around in a wide circle. Laughs overshadowed the tears rolling down my face and into his shoulder. It wasn't an awkward or romantic hug, just purely made of friendship. This hug was better than any boyfriend, even Damon, could have given to me. It was light, meaningless, and full of hope.

I inhaled the familiar, boyish scent that clung to Matt's clothes, and just like that, everything changed.

Hunger began to ease into my body, pounding against my stomach like a caged animal. I felt sharp fangs poke through my teeth, felt my eyes pool over with red. Hunger was so dominant that I thought I was going to forget everything Damon had taught me.

Luckily, training came rushing back. I breathed through my mouth instead of my nose, and with nearly painful restraint, broke our embrace. Swiftly, I turned away from Matt, trying to ignore the flash of hurt I'd glimpsed on his face. I pretended to be wiping my eyes.

"Sorry, Matt, I just…need a minute." I rubbed my eyes until I finally felt the red drain from them, felt my fangs sink back into my gums. Someone entered the coffee house, sending a refreshing whoosh of air up my nose.

With my composure pulled back, I turned and gave him a convincing smile. "It's just been so long," I explained. "I wasn't sure if I could ever really feel like that again; like we're just simple. Careless, easy, flat out _friends_."

He smiled gently and reached for my wrist. I hoped it didn't feel too cold against his warm fingers. "Where have you _been?"_

I sighed and avoided his eyes, speaking in a blunt voice. "It's not a very pretty story—I haven't been feeling myself at all. Anyway, that's not what I came to talk to you about."

He inclined his head towards an empty table, perfect for two people. "I can take an early break, if you want?"

I nodded. "That'd be great."

We spent about an hour going over just everything—our lives, the tests I'd missed, the new gossip at school…all these irrelevant, unimportant things that I never thought would even make sense to me anymore. As he spoke, however, I felt myself slipping into our old ways. I felt so much lighter, and I even let Matt order me my favorite caramel latte. A totally girly drink, I know. He even poked fun at me as we ordered.

"So," I began seriously after taking a warm sip. "Have you heard from Caroline at all?"

He frowned, and our mood shifted as quickly as the weather. "No," he said quietly. "No, I haven't. Tyler's been missing lately too, and Bonnie." More worry lines developed as he spoke. "I get it if it's Ty, you know? Guys don't always have their phones on them, and even if they do, we don't always answer each other's calls. But Bonnie? It's weird, 'Lena. I don't like it—something _wrong_."

I bit down on my lip and stared down at the whipped cream melting in swirls on my drink, unable to help myself from dodging his tortured gaze. "That is weird…I think I'll have Damon try to find them. He's pretty good at that kind of thing."

Matt sat back in his chair. I ignored the look he was giving me. "Elena."

I jerked my stare back up to him. "What's wrong?"

"Look, Elena, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I'm not saying this because of our history, so don't assume that I'm nursing a wounded ego or harboring some testosterone-induced grudge against him, alright?"

I nodded cautiously. "Go on."

He let out a tight breath as he leaned forward on his forearms. "_But _you have to admit that all this crazy shi—uh, _stuff_—"

Ever the gentleman, I thought to myself.

"Started happening when he and Stefan came into town," he finished with an expression similar to that of a dog waiting to be swatted for chewing up your new couch.

It took me awhile to formulate an answer. When I put myself into Matt's shoes, well, I knew there wasn't a whole lot I could say that would make him feel better. Finally, I settled on, "Matt, we've been friends since we were little. I've trusted you with all kinds of secrets, and you've trusted me with yours. So when I tell you that there are things happening—crazy things that I simply can't talk about—please know that it's not because I don't trust you to handle it." He opened his mouth to interject, but I held up a finger. "Hang on. I want to say this." He nodded, allowing for me to continue. I took a deep breath. "I know you're not stupid, and I think too highly of you to deny that yes, indeed, weird things have been going on. There are things in this world that I never thought I'd have to worry about, dangers I never thought I'd have to shield anyone from. And before you tell me that you don't need me to protect you, trust me, you do." I paused, reaching over to place my hand over his compressed fist. "Matt, if this were something trivial, you'd be the first to know. Okay, if this were a…drug addiction or…I don't know, if I was pregnant or had joined a gang—" That pulled the desired laugh from him, "—I would come to you, Bonnie and Caroline right away. But this…isn't anything like that. This is nuts, and it's best if you're not involved. So please, don't push. I need you to be normal—you're the last connection I have to a regular life."

"Elena…" His voice faltered. Something I'd said had stuck, and I knew it.

He was going to let me off the hook.

"Matt, you're still one of my very best friends. Please just trust me on this one."

He pursed his lips, but nodded. "Alright, alright. But just know that if I think you or anyone I care about is in serious danger, just for a _minute_, I will go right to Sheriff Forbes with it. I can't protect you from _that_, okay?"

I nodded. "Fine, that's fine. Just don't push, okay? That's all I need."

We got locked into a deep, calculating stare-down. Since I had the ability to not blink, I won. But this wasn't just a contest; it was a heated end to our conversation. His glare communicated to me that no, he wasn't happy with his decision, but he would stand by my request like the amazing friend he was.

It was all I could've asked him for.

Next on my hit list was Jeremy. I had to fix whatever was broken between us before I lost him for good. So, later that night, after Damon had stopped by to let me know that he and Stefan were going on a road-trip together (something about hunting), I stopped outside of Jeremy's door. A warm golden light was glowing through the crack underneath his door. Using my super hearing, I could sense that he was scribbling something down on paper at a rate that must've resulted in some terrible, illegible handwriting. I raised my knuckles to the door carefully, unease fluttering around my whole body. I was so scared of Jeremy, of what he'd become. To watch your brother deteriorate…it was heartbreaking.

I tapped on the door delicately, once, twice, and then a third time, this one even quieter than the two raps proceeding it. The voice that greeted me was flat, but not angry. "Come in." Something was different about this sound…it had _life_.

I twisted the knob carefully and took a minuscule step into the room. Using the kindest voice I could muster, and resenting the timid shake that crept in, I softly spoke to his back. "Jer? We need to talk." He was clad in a dark hoodie, and he was bent over some work at his desk. His hood was not pulled up, though, and his ears were free of buds—both deceptively good signs. Slowly, I entered a few more feet in, refusing to believe for a second that my brother could be even close to normal.

He spun around in his chair, and I swear my heart started to beat at the sight.

All though grayish half moons outlined under his eyes, the irises themselves were clear. T_hose_ were the round brown eyes I'd always known my brother to have—not the new, hazy drug eyes he'd adopted. Yes, these eyes were childlike and soothing, not glazed over like donuts or swimming in tears.

I staggered forward. "Jeremy?" I whispered.

"Oh, come on," he returned, but he was smiling. "Don't get all wishy-washy on me. It's sickening. Yes I'm back, and yes I'm sorry, but…we have bigger problems."

I stumbled towards him, unable to let my sentimental moment pass. "Wh—what do you mean?" I couldn't stop myself; I hugged him. "There are no problems, Jer. You're you! And _you_ know what's going on; I'm a vampire. So it's okay. It's okay now, because we have each other. I can talk to you again. Oh, god, nothing could possibly be wrong. Not anymore. As soon as I finish this emotional breakdown...Everything's going to be okay."

"No, Elena," he patted my back, but pushed me away. "You really need to hear this."

I wiped the bottom corners of my eyes, his words sailing right over my head. "I love you, Jeremy."

"And you know I love you, but you've got to be quiet and listen to me. Like, now."

"Okay," I murmured, shaking my head to clear it. I took a minute to gather my sloppy self. "Yes, right. Lay it on me." I plopped down on his bed, dabbing at my eyes still. He wheeled his chair over to me, laying stacks of paper before me.

"What is all this?" Logos for websites were labeled across the bottoms of the computer pages in small print. "What're you researching?"

"Just look at the titles, why don't you?"

Feeling stupid, I did as I was told and noticed that the first word in bold was 'doppleganger.' I narrowed my eyes. "What is all this?"

"Copies of books, historical documents, about your history. And _this_." He rolled over to a bookshelf and then scooted back, holding a battered looking, leather bound book. "Did you know that Katherine Pierce had journals kept just like the ones Jonathon Gilbert wrote?"

"Jonathon Gilbert…" It hit me; our ancestor, Jonathon, who Mom and Dad had always talked about being crazy. He'd been some sort of poet, or something, and had kept diaries of himself as his mind unraveled. "He wasn't insane, was he? He knew about the vampires!"

"Yes," Jeremy agreed quickly, tumbling over his words. "Yes, and I found Katherine's journals on—get this—_E-bay_, and then I copied it so we could both read it."

Okay, I had to admit, the E-bay thing was pretty impressive. "Thank you, Internet," I mumbled.

"I know, right? Anyway, look what I highlighted here. She wrote it in the early fifteen hundreds, shortly after she was turned."

I flipped a few pages over to get to the piece of paper that he was pointing to in his copy. On my page, neatly highlighted in yellow, were a few sentences that had been crudely translated from Bulgarian to English. I squinted to understand Katherine's words. She wrote about Klaus...that he would let her live until the next doppelganger arrived. Intrigued, I read on.

_She will take my blood, and I hers, and when the time is right, __he__ will drink the powerful substance we create. We are meant to be one person. Instead, we shall contain the strength of two vampires—even more potent than Klaus's pure, organic power. He will drink, and he shall spare me, and I shall finally be free._

I frowned, and reread the words a few times. "Oh," I whispered, finally understanding. "Oh, no."

Klaus wanted to combine my blood with Katherine's to make some sort of all-powerful potion. Then, he would drink it, and most likely kill us and everyone we loved. If Katherine believed otherwise, she was an idiot. All Klaus truly wanted was strength.

Once Katherine and I combined, we would be invincible. That meant that Klaus would need some kind of leverage to get us to allow him to sip our blood. For Katherine, it was to grant her freedom, obviously—but he'd need something to ensure that I wouldn't interfere.

The house seemed to quiet all of a sudden, as everything clicked into place.

Jenna. He had to have Jenna.


	18. Chapter 18

I paced the living room as I waited for Damon to answer his phone. "Please," I whispered into the speaker. The word became a chant. "Please, please, please." If anyone knew what to do, it would be Damon. He was my support system, my clear-headed deep thinker. He _always_ knew what to do.

"I'm not sure what to do."

I blinked, and my pacing stopped. "Huh?"

A sigh came from the other line. "Lena, I…I don't know what to tell you. We'll get her back, I promise. And we'll keep you safe. I just need some sort of a plan first."

"Well, I think we both know what has to happen first," I reasoned.

"What's that?"

"I'm going to have to drink from Katherine."

"_Are you out of your mind?"_

I frowned, pulling the phone from my ringing ear. "What's the matter with you? As soon as I blood-share with Katherine, I'll be stronger than Klaus."

"What then? You'll let him drink from you, and then he'll kill us all?"

I cringed at that thought. "Don't you think I can fight him off once I'm at full power?"

There was no pause; he didn't even consider my solution. "That's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"What do you propose we do, then?" I shouted, throwing my free arm into the air. I lowered my voice. "I have Jeremy in the other room making calls to Bonnie, who for all I know has been eaten alive by Klaus. Matt is freaking out over at the Grill because Caroline and Tyler have gone missing. Remember them? They saved our lives." I took a deep breath. "Everyone I love is in danger because of me, Damon, and if I don't do something, they will all die. You and Stefan included."

"I don't want to die anymore than you do, Elena, but over my dead body—my _actually _dead body—will I let you turn yourself into Klaus's personal feeding bag!"

"It's not your choice!" I screamed at him finally, and after that the only sounds were both of our sharp, furious breathing. I swallowed. "It's my choice; my family, my life. And my mind is made. I'm going to blood share with Katherine, and then I'm going to kill her if she gets in my way, and when he tries to come after me, I'm going to kill him, too."

"You can't."

"I can!" I insisted.

"No, Elena…there's something I should have told you awhile ago, I guess. It slipped my mind, but…If you kill an original vampire, all the vampires he's turned, and all those they've turned, will die as well."

His words sunk in quickly, along with my sense of hope. "So…what are you saying? That if I kill Klaus, we'll all die too?"

"Yes. One by one, we will all die."

I bit down on my lip, a new solution forming. "Then we'll have to contain him instead."

"How?"

"Didn't you say that Katherine was buried in a tomb?"

"Yes, underneath the church—wait, what are you thinking?"

I sat myself in a chair. Jeremy watched me over his folded hands. "I'm going to need your help, and maybe Bonnie's too, but I think I can lock Klaus up in that tomb."

Damon was quiet for a few minutes, considering what I'd told him. "That's insane, but…I think it might just work. We're going to have to do this fast though, Elena."

"How's tonight?" I offered. "The sooner the better, right? If you can get in touch with Katherine, I'll lour her here and then once I take the power, I'll kill her."

"Kill her?"

"So that she won't let Klaus drink from her," I explained.

"I don't know if she can be killed," he argued.

"Well, if anyone can kill her, it's me. Besides, I'm only going to take her out if I absolutely have to."

He sighed. "Okay, I'll make some calls."

...

Damon and Katherine arrived sometime later that evening. I'd spent the entire day with Jeremy, just in case something…went wrong. He hadn't gotten to Bonnie, but I had a feeling that she was probably with Klaus.

Damon knocked on my door for the first time in awhile, interrupting the movie Jer and I had on. I gripped his hand, which was next to mine on the couch. "Jer, look at me."

This was about to suck, but it was necessary. I took a shaky breath as his eyes met mine. "I love you," I said, using compulsion for the first time. His pupils dilated as he became fixated on me. "But it's not safe for you here. You're going to run—to that old lake house where we used to stay with Mom and Dad. You remember it, don't you? I want you to take the car, and call me when you get there. If you see Klaus, you do whatever it takes to get away. Be careful, Jer." His eyes were painfully blank. I gave his hand another squeeze. "Go," I ordered. "Now."

Wordlessly, he stood and left the room. I watched him get in the car, and then I went to answer to my company.

The living room suddenly seemed miles from the door, and my steps seemed to get slower with ever one I took. The walls of the hallway slanted, but I soldiered on. Finally, my hands gripped the cold doorknob, and I twisted it open. The heavy wood swung, revealing a sight that, were I human, would have stopped my heart.

There stood Damon, with his wide, challenging eyes, arms crossed over his burly chest. He tipped his head at me, looking me over from head to toe as if it were the first time he'd seen me in months.

Behind him stood Katherine, my spitting image if you overlooked the wild curls. Her eyes were narrowed coolly, as if she were ready to jump us all. I shuddered when she took a step closer to me.

"Elena," she murmured sarcastically. "How nice to see you again."

I took a wobbly breath. "Katherine. I would invite you in, but Jenna owns the house now and as you can see, she's not home, so I guess we'll just have to do this outside."

Disgustedly, she muttered, "How classy."

I wasn't about to apologize. As I stepped out of the house, Damon put his hand on my arm. I smiled up at him, but it was shaky. "Thanks," I whispered.

"Are you sure about this?" He touched his thumb to my lips, and Katherine all but disappeared.

I nodded. "It's our only option."

"No, it's not. Elena, we could run right now. We could put miles between us and Mystic Falls. It would be years until Klaus finds us, and by then we already could have moved on."

I shook my head. "I won't live my life running, Damon. It's this or nothing."

Katherine piped up. "We must be related, after all."

I turned to her. "I want to ask you something before we do this."

She shrugged. "I suppose we have time. What do you want to know?"

"Why are you doing this? What does Klaus have that makes you agree to this?"

She snorted. "Obviously, strength. As soon as I'm strong, I'm out of here. I'll be out of your way and as far from Klaus as possible. It will be the first time in my whole life that I won't have to watch my back. That's all I want."

I nodded. "Then I would advise you to leave fast, Katherine."

She tilted her head questioningly, but did not ask. I thought she wasn't going to say anything, but after a minute she quietly mumbled, "Thanks for the heads up."

"You're welcome." I glanced over at Damon and made eye contact. He nodded in understanding.

Our coast was clear.

"So…" I slapped my plams against my thighs. "How do you want to do this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Neck is conventional, but I think we can both agree that that would be a bit awkward, no?"

Behind me, Damon coughed to disguise his laughter. I couldn't help but smile along.

Katherine wasn't so bad. She was only looking out for herself. In her place, wouldn't I have done the same?

"Okay," I laughed politely, and bit into my wrist. Her face contorted as she mirrored me, digging her own fangs into the vein in her wrist. Blood trickled up my arm, reaching the crease in my elbow.

"Let's go before these cuts close," she hinted. I nodded and, gingerly, held my arm up. She offered me hers and I tried to squelch the terror building in my gut as I leaned in.

The smell of her blood made me want to jerk back, but I toughened up and pressed my mouth straight to the cut. I felt her start to suck the blood from my own wound, so I began to take deep sips from her. The taste was electric, like if you touch a battery to the tip of your tongue to see if there's any charge left. I pulled back as she did, both of us holding our jaws. My cut glazed over and disappeared. I watched, a jittery feeling similar to a caffeine high flowing through my whole body, as my vein started to pulse. Then, I gasped, a choked feeling washing over me. I couldn't breathe. The world turned black fast. Blindly, I felt around for Damon. Arms came around me as I fell, gasping. I wasn't sure if the retching sounds were coming for me or Katherine, as surely we were both having the same reaction. I gripped my throat, coughing. I was being strangled.

Then the fire built in my stomach. It was ice cold at first, drenching my whole being in power. Then it turned hot, burning. I screamed out with what little air was left in my lungs.

"Blood," I heard someone rasp. "We need h—human blood."

Damon scooped me up into his arms. My eyes opened a little. "Hang on, 'Lena," he whispered. "I'm going to help you."

We were running then, I would assume, because my hair began to whip behind me. It didn't last long, but it did make the fire worse. I think I started to cry, but I wasn't positive.

Eventually, I stopped being aware of my surroundings. I think he took me into his house. It would make sense, considering he and Stefan kept blood in their cooler.

Something wet dribbled into my lips. I swear, it was the sweetest blood I'd ever tasted. I let out a cry and reached for the bag. It opened my lungs back up and extinguished the white hot pain in my veins.

My sense began to strengthen, and I kept hearing something—drums. Someone was playing drums. I sucked dry the blood bag and opened my eyes. "D—Damon?"

He frowned, caught somewhere between horror and admiration. "Your—your heart."

"What?"

It hit me then; the sound wasn't anyone playing the drums or banging on the walls of my head.

It was my heart. My heart was beating.

...

We got to Katherine as quickly as possible. She was lying in a heap on our porch, skin turning a grayish color. Feeling her pain, I tore open the blood bag we'd brought and placed it right to her colorless lips. After a few moments, she began to drink on her own. The sound of the beating of her heart joined my own, paced exactly the same.

"They're beating in time," Damon whispered in awe. He hadn't taken his eyes off of me since I'd awoken from whatever pain-coma I'd been on, and now I understood why.

Katherine looked different. Her hair was healthier, her lips darker, and her eyes wider. She looked like a model, and if we were identical, then I must've looked pretty damn good myself.

She stood smoothly and brushed herself off. "Well," she began, her voice somehow musical. "You look like a goddess, so I'm going to guess that that worked." She stretched her arms out. "It's strange, but I don't really feel too different. You know, besides the heart and all. Anyways, I'm going to get gone before whatever you two are planning takes action." She waved to me and blew Damon a kiss, resembling a free man just let out of prison. "Watch your backs," she offered as a goodbye, which was probably about the closest to a 'take care' that we'd ever receive from Katherine Peirce.

"You too," I mumbled. With a relieved dance in her eyes, she was gone.

Damon's jaw dropped. "I've never seen anyone run that fast." His loving gaze returned to me. "And I've never seen anyone so beautiful." He leaned down to kiss my lips gently. "How do you feel?"

I shrugged. "Fine…sorry, that was probably hard to watch."

He looked pained now. "It might've hurt me more than you."

I scrunched my nose. "I doubt it. That hurt like a motherfu—"

"Elena." The voice wasn't Damon's and immediately, my heart began to beat faster.

I turned towards the source of the British twanged voice. "Klaus."

"How nice it is to see you…you look incredible."

Damon growled, stepping in front of me. I rolled my eyes. "You forget that I'm stronger than you." I looked at Klaus pointedly. "Both of you."

Klaus folded his arms over his chest. "I was going to ask; have you seen Jenna lately?"

I let out a snarl of rage. "Don't you _dare_ touch her."

"No need," he said, tone placating. "So long as I get my taste."

I narrowed my eyes. "Go right ahead." I held my wrist out.

Damon's eyes widened in horror. "You can't be serious, Elena!"

He had to understand; Klaus would be less powerful if he drank from me. He needed human blood to help him, just as I'd needed it, and without it, he'd be defenseless against Damon and me. We'd have more than enough time to get him into the tomb, and then I'd use the blood as leverage to find out where Jenna was. "It's the only way to keep my family safe, Damon." I tugged the sleeve of my shirt up and bit into my wrist. "Not too much now, Klaus."

He gave me a devilish smile and flashed to my side. Without hesitation, he drank deeply. I think I lost about a quart of blood before Damon lifted him off me by the collar of his expensive shirt. It was sick to take pleasure in the sight, but I smiled as I watched Klaus crumple in agony. He gripped the sides of his head as he screamed in pain.

I bent down to his level and gave him a look of innocence. "What's the matter, Klaus?"

He looked at me in hatred. "You—you," he wheezed.

I patted his back melodramatically. "Try not to talk too much. You're going to need all of your energy." With that, I gave Damon a signal and he lifted Klaus by his neck.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Damon hissed. He dragged him alongside as he sprinted for the tomb.

The run was fast, and it smelled of sweet victory. I almost laughed as I took off with Damon at my heels, navigating my way through the silent, blackened town. The tomb was a ways into the forest, off the graveyard. I reached it a few steps before Damon, and dropped into the dip in the ground. My feet slapped against the hollowed out hole. I glanced around until I found the heavy door covered the tomb. Using all my vampire strength, I lifted it away. The smell of mold, must and desiccation engulfed the room, making me cough. A second later, Damon and Klaus landed next to me. Klaus began to struggle, but it was feeble. He was too weak.

Damon tossed him far into the darkened tomb, and a crash sounded. I grinned at Damon and hugged him tightly. "It worked!"

He ran his hand through my hair affectionately. "For a minute there, you had me scared to death."

"I'm sorry," I said truthfully. "I thought you'd follow me."

"It took me a little bit, but I did figure out what you were doing." Half a smile appeared. "It was the only reason I let you go through with it." There was a pause, and Damon's hand traced its way to my heart. "I love that sound."

I smiled lightly. "I think I can get used to it. Hey." I pulled my hair back from my neck. "Let's find some human blood, and you can have some."

He stroked the length of my neck, causing my pulse to quicken. "You sure?"

"Of course. Stefan will have some, too. I'd like to keep it small so that the power doesn't fall into the wrong hands, but I think the two of you definitely deserve it."

"Let's go get some blood, then."

Hand in hand, we ran off, the night seeming damn near perfect.

**Hey guys! I hope you liked, and so you know, there will be a few more chapters—this isn't the end quite yet. Reviews are appreciated, and I love you all! **

—**Cora (:**


	19. Chapter 19

**Almost the last chapter, guys! I love your reviews; each one makes my whole day. I even screenshotted one and texted it to my friend, TheGarbageCanIsNotAMonster. Haha!(: Please keep them coming, I was sort of hoping to hit 100. Love youu. Enjoy. **

**Ps, since I don't think I've said this before: I don't own the TVD idea or anything. All rights go to LJ Smith and the brilliant writer of the t.v. show. Yes, the plot line is somewhat mine, but besides that...just putting it out there so I don't get sued, haha. **

Damon and I reached his cellar quickly, not wasting any time. This wasn't over quite yet. I was eager to find Aunt Jenna, Bonnie and Caroline. I wanted us to be together. Until then, I wouldn't be completely calm.

My foot tapped quickly against the cement of the floor as Damon left my side to grab the blood bags. He brought four, and tossed one to me. "A celebratory snack," he said with a grin.

I frowned as I caught the bag out of midair. It was cool and squishy between my fingers. I fiddled with the top. "I'm not quite ready to celebrate yet," I warned, but ripped the bag open. Immediately, the scent made my mouth water and triggered my vampire-reaction, fangs and all.

"We'll get your family here safe soon," Damon comforted me, and flashed to my side to put a hand to my arm and squeeze. "I promise."

I gave him a weak smile and tipped the bag back. The thick liquid swirled around my mouth deliciously as I drank. Too bad it stained my teeth so much. I had half a mind to lick the inside of the bag when I was finished, and maybe I would've if Damon hadn't been standing there watching me.

I felt a drop of blood leak from the corner of my lip and roll down my chin. Embarrassed, I went to wipe it away with my fingers, but Damon beat me there. He bent his head and kissed the spot, sucking the blood from my skin. From there, he kissed my mouth gently. This kiss screamed victory, even if we hadn't quite won yet. His enthusiasm was contagious, and I threw my arms around him and kissed him right back. His teeth snagged my lip and I shuddered.

"Elena," he almost begged. His hands tightened on my hips. I gasped, wanting nothing more than him.

I reached out and brushed his hair from his eyes, which were the sharpest blue I'd ever seen them. I placed a soft kiss under one of them. "We have to go." I started to pull away, but he groaned and yanked me back for one last kiss. I smiled against his lips. His fingers laced with min, and we were off.

"This night is a lot of back and forth," I complained as we were running through the trees. I had to speak to him over my shoulder, as he was lagging behind.

"You're super speed is hurting me ego," he called.

I grinned even though he couldn't see it. "Well now I don't want to give you any blood."

He sped up, nearly running by my side, and teased, "Guess I'll just have to take it."

I wasn't watching where I was going, so when I reached the entrance to the tomb, I nearly slipped and fell right through. Damon grabbed me by my elbows at the last second, and my legs dangled in midair. I giggled at my clumsiness. "Thanks, I owe you."

He smiled as he pulled me back up, something he needed to do more often. "Even though you'd recover in minutes, it's not fun to break your leg."

I nodded my agreement and collected myself. Once my heart stopped thrumming from the fear of nearly falling in the hole, I bent my knees and jumped down. I landed like a cat—on my feet.

Damon hopped down beside me within the second, purposely knocking into me so that we ended up tangled on the ground. I tried not to laugh. "Damon," I scolded.

He gave me innocent eyes. "What?" With a kiss to my forehead, he pushed himself off my and offered a hand to help me up off the ground. I took it graciously and pulled myself up with a fluidity the only existed in supernatural beings. Damon's pupils dilated as he watched my smooth movements, drawing an unexpected blush from me. He reached a hand out and traced my cheeks. "I missed that."

I let myself bask in the moment for a little, but Klaus's strangled cries put me back in business mode. I held my hand out, and Damon placed a blood bag in it. I strolled over to Klaus very slowly. He watched me from the ground, panting. His entire body was covered in sweat. I crouched low, only steps in front of the tomb, and dangled the bag between two fingers. Dark, rich red substance sloshed around the bag. Klaus whimpered.

"Is this what you want?"

He couldn't speak, but he tried to reach for it. I pulled it back quickly, curling my hand over it. "Ah, ah, ah," I tisked. "Not so fast." My eyes grew dark. "Tell me where Jenna is."

He didn't make an attempt to answer.

"No?" I ripped the bag open and let a tiny drop slide out onto my finger. If it was possible, he looked even more tortured. A wholly animal roar of agony tore from him. "If you can make that sound, you can tell me where you're keeping my family." I licked the blood from my finger mockingly. "Bonnie," I said as I squeezed out another drop. "Caroline. Jenna." Two more drops. He watched like a dog begging for a treat. "All you have to do is tell me where you're keeping them, Klaus, and the bag is yours."

He opened his mouth to confess, but was interrupted by a crashing noise behind us. I jumped so fast that I almost dropped the bag right into Klaus's hands—almost. Stefan stood behind us, hiding something close to his chest.

I squinted. Were those…bodies?

Communicating his anguish with his eyes, Stefan rolled the bodies carefully onto the ground. Blood covered both of the throats of the people lying there. A throttled yelp of pain escaped me, and I fell to my knees. There, just feet in front of me, were the ripped and torn bodies of my closest friend, Bonnie, and my Aunt Jenna.

…

"No," I sobbed, and crawled over to Jenna. I wrapped two fingers around her wrist, praying for a pulse. There was none. _"No!"_ I let go of her and moved to Bonnie, already knowing that I would feel nothing but trying anyway. Her hand was cold and there was no thrumming coming from her veins, no pulse in her body. They smelled musty, decayed…_dead_. I bent my head and cried, unable to help myself. Bonnie's eyes were closed, but Jenna's…Jenna's were opened, and they were _petrified_. I collapsed onto them, my cheek pressing against Jenna's chest. There was no sound coming from her body—no beat of a heart, no gurgling tummy noises. She was just still. They both were.

Horrible sounds accompanied the sobs, and my entire soul felt like it was being ripped wide open. "No," I insisted over and over again. "No please, please."

Damon's arm came over me, and he gently tugged me into him, hiding my head in his shoulder. He placed his chin over my hair and rubbed my back with his hand. I folded into him, my hands gripping the shirt that was stretched over his broad chest. The tears came freely, soaking his clothes and my face in no time. "Oh, God, Elena," he murmured, patting my back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I sniffled and tried to pick myself up off of him. Poor Stefan probably felt very awkward, and I needed to go home, get out of here. The bodies would have to be taken care of, and I needed to get to Jeremy before any of Klaus's people.

But trying to function was eating a gash through my heart. The wounds from losing my parents were cut open and all the grief poured from them. I caved back into Damon, not yet ready to move. "Okay," he soothed, "It's okay. Take it slow, baby."

I felt so small, so alone. All Jenna had ever wanted was to help me…she'd done nothing to deserve this. And Bonnie? How could Klaus—his name tasted like something awful, vulgar— take this out on her? She was so weak compared to him, so defenseless. Sure, witches were strong, but she was new. And God, so, so young.

I cried out as though I'd been punched. This was my fault, all of it.

_But I still have Jeremy_, I told myself. That was true, and I still needed to be strong for him. This would kill him, but I was going to have to be there. I was going to have to be whole for him; we needed each other. And I had Damon, too, and Stefan. I took a deep breath. It was shattered and it hurt a bit, but it helped me to compose myself. I let myself breathe without hiccupping for a few minutes, and then I lifted my head off of Damon. I was sure I looked like a sloppy mess, but he still looked at me as though I were the most beautiful girl to ever walk the Earth. "Will it kill him?" I asked.

"What?" His voice was feather soft and tentative.

"That," I pointed to Klaus, my voice heavy from the sobs. "Will not having blood kill him?"

Damon shook his head. "No, we can't starve, it's impossible. But he will start to desiccate, and in maybe fifty or one hundred years, he will become completely immobile—like he's dead, except he's not."

"Like he's frozen," I grasped.

Damon nodded, lips brushing my hair. I took another, less choppy breath. "In that case." I picked the blood bag up from where I'd dropped it next to…next to the bodies, and I held it up to Klaus's famished eyes. I spoke to him quietly. "I've never wanted to kill someone so much in my whole life, but this," my voice caught and I gripped the bag tighter. "This might be just as satisfying." With that, I chucked the bag against the opposite wall in the hole, out of Klaus's reach. It exploded and blood spattered my cheek, and in a ring around the tomb, just out of Klaus's reach. I signaled for Damon's help, knowing that right then I wouldn't be strong enough to close the heavy door on my own. He grabbed one end and I held on halfheartedly. Before I moved the ancient rock, I met Klaus's defeated eyes one more time. "I hope you rot," I seethed, and then Damon and I slammed the door right on his pathetic, writhing form.

…

The rain started at 2 a.m. the day of the funeral, and it didn't let up the remainder of the week. It seemed fitting; the whole event was dark, after all.

Never had I ever hugged Jeremy tighter than when Stefan had found him at the lake house and had delivered him to me, his young mind cleared of the compulsion. Telling him about Jenna was the hardest thing I'd had to do in a long time, but after a night or two, we were both able to get more than four hours of sleep.

Caroline had showed up at the wake and funeral, an unexpected guest. She had been with Klaus, but for whatever reason, he'd spared her. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet, so none of us knew why he'd let her go. All I could tell was that her normally light eyes were haunted.

I had a feeling she'd been forced to watch them die.

Bonnie and Jenna's coffins were sleek and black, with plush silk on the inside. In her casket, Bonnie's family memoire was buried, along with a necklace that had belonged to Emily, her wicca ancestor, and a simple bouquet of her favorite flowers. They'd straightened her soft black hair, and she wore a plain dress that complimented her skin tone. Of course, that skin tone now was about three shades lighter than it was supposed to be.

It was even harder to look at Jenna than it was Bonnie. She resembled Mom so much. Her honey hair seemed limp now, though, and her lips were white instead of peach. She had nothing but a cross to hold, and that felt lonely to me. I'd placed a kiss on her forehead and regretted it; she had been ice-cold.

Damon had stayed by my side the entire day, looking way more handsome in his tux than I would have thought possible. It felt good to have him there, the only real relief I'd felt throughout the whole occasion.

Jeremy had gone with me to the burial, and we'd both thrown dirt into the whole. He'd held my hand for the first time in years, and it made me feel stronger somehow, as though this giant weight I held wasn't just being carried on my shoulders. I had Jer and Damon and even Stefan to help me, and I knew better than anyone to count those blessings.

As our car rolled away, after all the tears and greetings of distant friends, family members or just kind people of the community, a small ray of sunshine cracked through the gray clouds. It was still raining, but that sunlight signaled a small sign of hope, and I was going to hold onto it.

**:'( This chapter made me sad. But review, please, and I promise, the next chapter should wrap everything up. Love you guys!**


	20. Chapter 20

**THIS IS IT! I'm so sad! I'm going to miss this story so much. Every single one of your reviews have made me smile, and I want to thank all of my followers, everyone who favorited this story, and everybody who like it enough to comment. Every time I wake up to an email telling me one of you left another review, I get excited. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and look for more stories on my account. I'm going to try to put another up. **

**Delena forever! **

**Xoxo—Cora. **

I tugged the last suitcase closed, wincing at the high pitched squeal the zipper made. Jeremy watched me from the doorway of his bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a loose fitting t shirt and athletic shorts. I threw him his jacket. "Here. You'll be cold on the plane."

He caught the fleece easily, and put it on without argument. "Are you sure about this, Elena?"

I put my hands on my hips. Jean short clung to my legs, and underneath my own warm sweat jacket, I wore a tank. "Jer, we have to get out of here, and you know it. Not only is it unsafe, but…it's hard." I took a deep breath, and sat down on Jeremy's bed. It had been stripped of his sheets, and his walls were bare. Not a picture was left hanging in the room. "I would love to stay here and pretend that everything's the same; that Mom will bump into me in the hallway as I'm on my way to the bathroom in the morning, or that I'll smell Dad's coffee before I even walk into the kitchen." I stopped to catch a few tears that had gathered in my eyes. "But I can't stay here, Jeremy. Jenna, Mom, Dad, even Bonnie, they're all parts of this house, of this town. I'll go crazy if I stay here and write journal entries from where I sit next to their graves in the cemetery."

He nodded. "I know, I just…" he trailed off.

I put my hands in my lap and cast my eyes down to them. "I'm going to miss Matt and Caroline more than anything in the whole world, but it's safer for them if we leave." I swallowed hard. "We won't miss anything; if they find Tyler, we'll get a call." Our theory was that Tyler had somehow escaped, and had high tailed it out of town. That was probably smart; there had to be some werewolf-pack around for him to join. I just hoped that wherever he was, he was safe. His mother, the mayor, was going nuts. But the thought of the mayor brought back images of the speech she'd made at Jenna and Bonnie's funeral, and that was exactly why we needed to skip town as well. In my carryon, I had two tickets to L.A. It was warm, sunny, and by default, vampire free. Damon, Stefan, Caroline and I were really the only ones who had the daylight rings; not many knew about them, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to find witches to make them some. No, in L.A. we'd be safe from almost all thing supernatural. The Salvatore brothers and I would be the palest people in sight, but besides that, no one would be crazy enough to suspect our secret. Outside of Mystic Falls, the world would be different; less heavy, and brighter. Jeremy and I needed that change.

Damon was to meet me at the airport. He held tickets for him and Stefan both. When we got off the plane, we'd have nowhere to go, but that was nothing a bit of compulsion couldn't fix. Who knew, maybe Jeremy would meet some new friends when we enrolled him in high school. Maybe he'd develop a talent for volleyball, and have bikini clad girls chasing him around. Maybe I would try swimming. Vampires hated water, but I could change that, right? I didn't have to be miserable. I'd spend some time on the beach with Damon and pretend that I could get a tan. Maybe we'd even adopt a golden retriever to play Frisbee with. The possibilities were endless.

I picked myself up and grabbed the suitcase. Jeremy went to take it from me, but I shooed him away. "Vampire strength, remember?"

He reached over me and took it anyway. "Come on Elena, let me carry the bag. I don't want to look like the douche bag that makes a girl carry his stuff."

I gave a small smile, and it was smooth—easy. That felt good. "Alright, go ahead, be chivalrous." I let go of the handle of the suitcase. His arm flexed as he swayed, trying to regain his balance. When did my brother get muscles?

A pinch of sadness passed through me. He was too young yet. I was nowhere near ready for him to grow up. "Thanks, Jer," I said quietly. He smiled as he backed up, straightening with some effort. On our way out, I flicked out the light. I let him go downstairs. "I'll catch up with you," I promised. His footsteps disappeared down the stairwell, and I turned away. I opened the door to my room one more time, the familiar smell washing through me. My window was left open, and on the sill sat a familiar black crow. It didn't scare me the way it used to; in fact, now it brought a sense of safety. I smiled at it weakly, and then let my gaze slide over the rest of the painfully empty room. I sighed and stepped in slowly, running a hand across the dresser that we'd left. The bed was empty of a mattress, the windows cleared of curtains, and the walls stripped of pictures and mirrors. It was hard to see this place that way; I'd grown up in that room. Over in the corner by the window was where they'd kept my rocking chair until I hadn't needed it anymore. That closet, no longer filled with clothes, was where my childhood dolls had been stored when I hadn't been playing with them. Those came with us in a cardboard box labeled 'memories', but I realized that most of the memories existed in this house. And that was all fine and well, except for along with the good memories, there were also unbearable ones. I breathed in slowly and looked over the place sadly.

Was I making the right call?

If I left here, I was taking Jeremy away from the place where he'd grown up. I was putting hundreds of miles between our friends, our parent's graves, our school…all of it. It would all disappear the minute we boarded that plane.

A loud voice in my head shouted, 'Good riddance!' and I knew that my choice was a good one. We simply couldn't stay here; this was a dark, sad place. It brought death and danger and depression. I was going to lose my mind if I spent one more night in the house. So, I blew it a kiss and I shut the door behind me.

I eyed my parent's room. I hadn't been brave enough to go in there; Damon and Stefan had packed all their stuff up for me. I almost opened the door, just to see if their smell would still be there, to see if I'd be bombarded with happy childhood memories, but I caught myself. It would smell like mold in there, and dust would assault my nose. The room would be bare, and there would not be a trace of who they were left in there. The room would not remind me of them; it would remind me of losing them.

So, I turned and I trailed my hand along the stair railing for the last time, as the moving van beeped their horn in the driveway. Using the key from under the mat, I locked our door ceremoniously, and placed the spare key in the mailbox, along with the note Jer and I had written to the people who'd wanted to buy our house from us. They had a baby girl and the mother was pregnant with a boy, which seemed ironic because that was exactly how my parent's had bought the house so many years ago.

I got into the car next to Jer. He wanted to drive, and that was good, because I wanted to take in the town for one last time. I'd already said a tearful goodbye to Car and Matt; I was ready to leave. Jeremy turned to smile at me from the passenger seat, and I returned the gesture. Everything was going to be okay. I turned up the radio and sat back to watch my town streak passed me in all different, mesmerizing colors.

…

Damon met me at the gate, moments before our plane was meant to depart. I ran up to him and hugged him like he was my soldier come home from the army. He laughed into my hair as he swung me around. "Are you certain about all of this?" His question held a very serious edge, but my answer was light, quick.

"One hundred percent."

So, hand in hand, we showed the girl our tickets to get in. Jeremy helped roll our suitcases through the tunnel to the plane. When we reached the doorway, Stefan patted the surface of the plane. "For good luck," he told me, and winked.

I could feel a friendship forming between the two of us, and it brought a sense of happiness to me.

My seat was next to Damon's, and Stefan sat beside Jeremy, a row behind us. I could hear them discussing their music taste. That brought a tiny smile to my lips.

The air marshal came over on the loudspeaker, announcing our destination and all the rules to follow, should the plane go down. I snorted at the irony. God, that would suck.

About ten minutes later, we took off. A whistling noise sounded in my ears, so I popped a piece of gum and passed the pack around. Damon had let me take the window seat, and I watched out as the ground disappeared, light, fluffy clouds taking its place. The sky was completely blue above the clouds, and sunshine dove through the window. I placed my hand against it, felt the warmth on my palm. The light caught my ring, and it gleamed. Damon's smiling reflection surfaced in the window, and I turned to him, beaming. The expression felt nice on my face, and I think Damon liked it too. I leaned my head against him and closed my eyes tiredly.

This was where I needed to be; whether we were going to L.A. or Antarctica, I just needed Damon, Stefan and Jer next to me. As long as I had that, everything would be alright.

And it looked like everything was going to be just perfect from now on.

...

_The End_


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